A Dish Best Served Cold!
by Count Le MadPhantom
Summary: A white haired, red eyed Stranger comes to Jump City with some seriously cool freezing powers and an icy sword as sharp as his wit. But is he friend or foe? Eventual OCxJinx and some mild RobxStar and BBxRae ... Read and Review!
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Teen Titans, nor am I affiliated with it in any way._

A Dish Best Served Cold 

Somewhere on the sea near Jump City…

It was early morning, and the waters were calm in the orange glow of the rising sun…the only disturbance being the gentle rolling of the waves and the cool winds blowing.

The tranquility of the dawn's light, however, is suddenly interrupted by an enormous galleon-like ship floating slowly toward the city from the horizon.

The ship itself, seemed almost ghostly in the morning haze, it was built from what appeared to be a white-ish colored wood, with shining silvery metal adorning the edges.

White, billowing sails waved like banners on the ship's multiple masts, and a blue flag displaying a design of what looked like a snowflake waved from the front helm of the ship.

To further enhance the overall mystery of the spectral craft, was simply the fact that vessels such as these were hardly ever seen in this day and age, being outdated and replaced by their much more modern counterparts.

A lone figure stood upon the rear deck of the ship, standing completely still with the only movement from him being the way his long white hair blew gently in the wind.

This stranger himself was as fantastic as his ship, if not more so.

Snowy white hair that came down to the middle of his back in a long, elegant ponytail with a light blue band keeping it in place framed a startlingly pale face, almost as white as his hair.

His eyes were a deep shade of crimson, and seemed to take in his surroundings without ever blinking.

As for his clothing, let it be said that he was obviously not dressed as most people of contemporary tastes would expect. He wore a baggy white suit of clothes with a hood that seemed to be made out of a shiny, almost silken material that consisted of a long sleeved shirt and a pair of pants. All this was the same snow-white color as the young man's hair.

Around his pants was a gray belt with a silvery sword scabbard attached. In the scabbard was a long, thin-bladed rapier type sword with a golden handle.

Over the top portion of the suit was an armor-like chest plate and shoulder pad combination that was forged from a strange, deep-blue jewel-like material that shone and seemed almost transparent…if one didn't know any better, they would think it was made of ice!

His hands and feet were covered with thick gloves and tall boots, both of which were a teal sort of color; a bluish-green mix.

Finally, topping of the young man's odd wardrobe was a long, wide cape that flowed all the way down to his ankles and draped over both shoulders. The cape was the same dark blue as the chest plate and shoulder pads on the side facing outwards, and pure, clear white on the inside lining. Furthermore, his mantle was also adorned with a fluffy trimming of white fur all along the edges.

Around his neck hung a metallic silver necklace with a large symbol of a snowflake attached, much like the design on his ship's flag

Needless to say, the stranger presented a spectacle not easily forgotten…his overall impression was of a ghostly knight at the head of a monstrous, spectral galleon.

The mysterious young man leaned against his ship's railings and sighed deeply…

_**Cue Flashback**_

The Same boy as before is no longer on the ship, but rather walking along a snowy path up a mountain.

He walks on for some time with no change in the snowy scenery except the occasional gnarled, old, leafless tree. Finally, he stops and looks up to see what looks like a massive glacier on the peak of the mountain…but it is not. Upon closer inspection, it is actually a _castle_…a castle made entirely of ice.

A couple of men in all-white metal armor with crystalline-bladed spears guard the front. He walks up to them.

"Hey guys…can a brother get in around here?"

The two guards, only just noticing the young man look to see who is speaking and jump back, as if startled.

"Sub-Zero! It's you! Of course…go right in, sir."

(Note: not the Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat, this is an entirely different guy.)

"Thanks boys!" he replies with a mile wide grin. Obviously, they have met before.

The two guards both touch their spears to the front section of the icy castle wall, where the doors would normally be. The weird, icy blades on the spears glow with a blue light and suddenly, the front of the wall literally began to crack from the ground up, like a fissure up the wall. A moment later, a large section of the wall opened up like a set of double doors, with the opening between doors being where the crack had formed.

Both of the burly guards step back and bow, motioning for Sub-Zero to go on in. He starts off walking again, and goes in.

Inside, the castle looks like a strange ice fortress, with the walls shining with a dim, blue light, casting a sort of ethereal glow around the whole place.

He walks down several long corridors, all identically decorated with paintings of snowy scenes and suits of white armor.

Although the place is designed like a maze, our man seems to know exactly where he is going and why. His footsteps echo off of the frozen tiles of the floor and seem to resonate from the walls and ceiling, creating a slightly eerie ambience. After a few minutes of walking in silence, he arrives at a large set of reinforced wooden double-doors and carefully pushes them open to step inside.

The next chamber has a long hallway with a center carpeted walkway with large, torches of strange blue flame along the sides and the end is an icy throne with a giant of a man sitting upon it.

Like the boy, he has red eyes and white hair with pale skin, but also has a long white beard and mustache. Furthermore, he is much taller, at least a good nine feet or so tall!

Upon his head sits a blue metallic crown adorned with various rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, along with flecks of silver and gold. He wears long luxurious robes of a deep purple color with white and black trim.

The boy kneels before the behemoth, and utters one word:

"M'lord?"

The giant king looks down at the boy and, after a moment begins to speak.

"Ahh…Sub-Zero. I thought I would be seeing you soon…you are here to pass your final test of Knighthood, are you not?"

"Yessir, m'lord. I have come to receive my final test."

"Good. As you know, you are now sixteen years of age, and therefore of age in our kingdom, the time has come to prove yourself a true warrior. You are to journey out away from our frozen island of Norblitz, and prove yourself worthy of knighthood…but you must never reveal the location of our home to the outside peoples…we do not welcome outsiders here."

The young man, Sub-Zero, bowed his head and nodded. But then, he looked up with a puzzled expression.

"Wait your highness…how do I know when I'm worthy?"

The gentle giant of a king smiled and clapped his hands. As soon as he did so, a guard came running from the side of the chamber holding a small, ornate chest. He kneeled before the king and opened the chest, and the king reached in and grabbed a small round necklace and handed it to Sub-Zero, whom just looked at it.

It was made a pure sapphire, with an emerald lining around the edges. Upon the blue, sapphire center was carved the likeness of a winged serpent…a dragon. The boy's eyes widened.

"Beautiful…but sir…how will this help me?"

The king drew back his head and loosed a booming laugh that nearly shook the ice palace.

"Naïve boy! That is no ordinary bauble you hold…it is a talisman of the Ice Dragon. When you have become worthy, It will glow with a mystic light, and you shall return to me with it as proof. Only then, will you be named a Knight of our northern kingdom."

The boy bowed again. "I understand… I shall depart at once sire, I'll take my ship."

"Then Go, boy, … and good luck to you."

_**End Flashback**_

Sub-Zero looked upon the city in the distance before him…when he had first departed, he had prayed for a sign as to where to start his quest to become a worthy knight. He had sailed aimlessly for a few days before catching sight of this city.

"Amazing…what beauty!" he said, astonished at the sprawling metropolis. But the most remarkable thing was that far in the distance of the city, was a truly massive building that, if his eyes did not deceive him, **_was shaped like a giant letter 'T'. _**"Surely, that is the sign I was askin' for! I'll go to that city and make a name for myself. Someplace _that _big _has_ to have some action, eh?" he said nodding to himself.

He smiled…he had a good feeling about this. Placing a hand on his sword, he prepared to dock his ship near the city.

"Just you wait…this lowlifes in that city'll never know what hit 'em!"

**Well? Like it? Hate it? Review so I'll know how I'm doing. Sub-Zero is my own, original character, and in case you are wondering (as you probably are) just what the hell any of this has to do with teen titans…don't worry. The heroes we know and love will be cropping up next chapter.**


	2. Chapter One

_Disclaimer: Still don't own Teen Titans and never will…so there._

A Dish Best Served Cold – Chapter One 

"**Ha!** Got ya! Score another one for Cyborg!"

"Dude! That is SO not fair! You've got a shotgun!"

"Beast Boy, you got a rocket launcher!"

"Um…. it still isn't fair!"

Cyborg and Beast Boy were on the couch, controllers in hand, playing versus mode on some obscure shooter game.

"Ugh…could you two make any more noise at all? I'm trying to read here…" Raven groans looking up from her book.

"Well couldn't you read in your room?" The green shape-shifter retorted.

"I tried…. but I could still hear you two arguing."

Cyborg spoke up looking mildly offended "hey, we ain't arguin'! We're just having a…. uh…. vigorous discussion."

The dark telepath sighed. "Whatever… do what you want. I'm going outside to meditate."

And so she did. She walked out some ways 'til she got to a large cliff edge just above the sea. For once today she sighed in contentment…it was much nicer out here anyway…without those guys fighting over their stupid games…without Star's high pitched, cheerful banter…only the sounds of nature….

_Cough…. hack…wheeze…sputter._

"…. What the..?"

Looking up suddenly from her meditation, Raven gasped as she saw a boy, in white robes and a blue metallic chest and shoulder armor with a furry cape, crawling slowly and desperately up and over the edge of the cliff.

"_Pant…pant_…. oh man…. thought I'd never…"

Suddenly the exhausted stranger realized he wasn't alone.

"Oh…uh…hey…. wazzup?" He managed to wheeze, before promptly passing out, leaving the bemused sorceress to stare at his unconscious form

"Uhh…oh-kay…**THAT** was random." She said blinking. "But I guess I can't just leave him here…" With that, she lifted him up with her dark telekinesis and began carrying him back to the tower.

Meanwhile back inside the tower, a certain young alien was trying to break up a fight.

"Man, I'm sick of your attitude! You're just a sore loser, that's all!"

"Me! At least **I'm** not the cheater!"

"Cheater! Why you little tofu slurpin'…."

"Friends, please! You mustn't fight like this!"

Finally, a much more irritated voice broke the cacophony. "GUYS! **_PLEASE_**!"

All three immediately fell silent and cowered from a very irritated Robin, whom had just emerged from his room.

"You guys are makin' so much noise, I can't think straight!"

"We are sorry Robin…truly we are…" volunteered Star, in a rather soft and dejected voice.

He sighed heavily in response. "It's fine…just…please try to restrain yourselves a little more, alright?"

"Speaking of restraint…"

Everybody in the room jumped at the soft, gravelly voice, but was relieved when they realized it was just Raven.

But they quickly became alarmed again when she lifted up a strange looking white haired boy with her powers. "Look what followed me home…can we keep it?" she said in her typical monotone.

Star was the first to speak up "R-Raven! What have you done to him!"

"I beg your pardon…**_I _**haven't done anything, except save his skin. He just came crawling up the Cliffside outside the tower…the one overlooking the sea…then he just kind of took a nap."

She used telekinesis to lift him over the couch and drop him there.

Robin looked the stranger over.

"Well…. what should we do with him?" Robin wondered

"We must help him! He is obviously in need of medical help! Just look at how pale-faced he is!" Star cried.

Beast Boy just frowned. "But isn't that being a little too friendly? I mean, sure, were heroes and all, but for all we know, this guy could be another one of those H.I.V.E. rejects! He sure _looks_ strange enough to be one."

"My apologies…. but at least I'm not **_green_**… and I certainly do not have hives." came an icy voice from out of nowhere.

Star yelped, Raven gasped, Cy jumped, Robins eyes bugged out behind his mask, and beast boy just looked dumbstruck…more so than usual, that is.

Then, they all simultaneously turned to face the stranger on the couch, who lifted his head weakly to address them.

"Oh, and, by the way…. the name's Sub-Zero."

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Dun-Dun-Duun! The plot thickens! Just who is this "Sub-Zero"? What is his purpose? How did he get here? And why was he climbing up that cliff? Also, will it rain tomorrow? Find out these answers and more in the next action-packed installment!……

…. But seriously, all cheesiness aside folks, read and review!

_** The**_

_**Mad Phantom**_


	3. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: Ya'll know the drill; I don't own any of the Teen Titans characters.**

A Dish Best Served Cold-Chapter Two 

It has been a couple of hours since Raven brought Sub-Zero into the tower; in that time, he explained, his name, his powers, and why he was here.

"So you come from some tiny frozen country up North, but can't tell us where it is 'cause you're sworn to secrecy?" Robin said, still looking at him skeptically.

"And you're trying to become a knight? Isn't that a little unusual these days?" added B.Boy.

Sub-Zero sighed in mild frustration.

"Yes…but you have to remember that things are much different in my homeland. We don't have much in the way of technology…we still fight with sword and shield. Also, we still live under a monarchy…. but that's not to say our king isn't just! He is the best king we've had in years. If you still don't believe me, just take a look at my sword, … _Eviglasere_!" He pulled the scabbard at his side off, and held it out.

Robin took it to look at it and the others gathered around.

"…E-vig-las-ere..?" Star managed to get it out. "That is a very strange name for a sword…or a very strange name in general."

"Yep…in my native language, it simply means, 'everlasting ice'…just pull it out and you'll see why. Go on!"

Robin carefully pulled the golden-handled sword out of the casing, and gasped. The blade was made entirely out of Ice. "It's ice! But how is that possible?"

Zero grinned proudly and explained. "I just told you, man! It's everlasting ice! Ice that has been magically enchanted so that it never melts, and never breaks! Also, as you can tell, it's been sharpened so much that it cuts just as well as any iron or steel…maybe better. The pommel was crafted from solid gold, and the scabbard, from genuine sterling silver."

"Oh, it is beautiful!" gushed Star, staring wide-eyed.

"Yeah…. especially considering you could chop a horse in half with it." Raven commented roughly, not sounding particularly impressed.

Zero just laughed.

"Hahahaha! I guess that's true as well." He grinned sheepishly. "It's a fine blade, that's for sure…it's saved my skin on a number of occasions."

Cyborg rubbed his chin, thinking. "So… do you have to have your sword to freeze stuff, or is that a separate ability?"

Zero just smiled mischievously and outstretched his teal-gloved hand towards a window.

All of the sudden, a small concentrated gust of icy wind burst forth from his hand, almost like magic, and froze over the window completely…all while Robin was still holding Eviglasere.

"Alrighty then… I guess that answers _my_ question…" Cyborg said staring at the window.

"Impressive…" Said Raven, who actually did sound rather impressed this time.

"Thanks! But it's not unique…everyone back in Norblitz can do that. I guess my people have lived in the freezing cold North so long that we just kinda, you know, became one with it."

"That is so amazing! I would very much like to see this place one day." Star said, seemingly smitten with the idea of an entire island of ice-people.

"Heh…not in those clothes you wouldn't…and besides, I doubt my liege would allow your entrance…. Aw, but don't take it personal!", he added hastily, seeing Star look rather hurt by this comment.

"It's just that…well…a lot of my people, especially the elders, are very…um…shall we say, 'Old-fashioned'. They don't exactly trust outsiders…but I've always thought that was rather stupid. I mean, come on! Just look at you folks! You're superheroes! Not to mention you saved my life from that heat out there…by the way…I don't think I ever thanked you for that, Madame." He said gesturing towards Raven.

"Oh…um…it…was nothing…" she mumbled blushing slightly (although, fortunately for her, her hood covered it.) But then, she got a puzzled look on her face. "Why were you climbing that cliff anyway?"

"Well…er…I didn't see any docks, so…I just kinda….dropped anchor and …well,…started climbing! But I didn't count on it being so high…or so **_hot_**…" He fanned his face to illustrate the point. "I guess I'm just used to cold, snowy weather."

"Wait…'dropped anchor'? You came here on a boat?" B.Boy said, suddenly interested.

"Well…my _ship_, actually….the _Fryse Wyrm_." He said with an air of pride.

"Dude, that's _sweet_! Can we see it?" Beast Boy yelped excitedly.

"Sure! It's the least I could do."

So, he they left the tower and went the same way that he and Raven had come from, and before too long, came to the aforementioned cliff.

"uh…dude…I hate to break it to you.." Beast Boy started "But your ship musta sank! There's nothin' down there!" he said looking over the edge of the cliff.

"Oh I know…not _yet_, of course." He muttered with a sly, crafty smile.

The Titans just looked at him confused, but he chuckled and reached into his cape….and pulled out a small, metal whistle.

"This little beauty…" Sub-Zero said, running a hand through his long white hair, "is another nifty magic enchantment I came across in some of my earlier travels."

Before they could ask him what it did, he reared his head back, sucked in a deep breath, and blew into the tiny whistle with all of his might…. and yet, _no sound came out_.

They blinked in confusion, except for Zero, who just stood patiently.

"uhm…wha-…?" Cyborg began but was cut off.

"Shhhhh! Listen!" Zero hissed, putting a gloved hand to his ear.

For a minute they just stood there like that…but soon they heard something…like a soft, faint buzzing from underneath them…then, it became a bellowing noise that came from all around, before slowly and surely becoming a painfully loud roar that rose from the sea itself.

The sea itself began to churn and froth, as if it were boiling. Shortly after, a huge whirlpool formed at the bottom of the cliff.

"Look! Something's comin' up!" Robin bellowed over the loud din, and pointed towards the whirlpool.

Sure enough, it was. A massive, white and silver shape began to emerge out of the water…before long; enough of the monstrosity had surfaced for one to realize that it was a ship…a _huge_ ship.

After a minute or two of this chaos, the great noise abruptly halted, and the water became utterly calm. The big boat had surfaced completely.

It was a white ship with several masts, complete with thick, broad, billowing sails, several rows of big black cannons jutting out from both sides. The whole thing had strips of shining silvery, studded metal adorning it, which, despite having been under water, had not rusted a bit. Bizarrely, the whole ship looked to be completely dry, no water running off of it or anything. A large blue banner with the symbol of a white snowflake waved proudly from the front end, with no trace of moisture whatsoever. It was basically an enormous, almost ghostly looking pirate ship.

There were assorted sounds of awe from the onlookers:

"Holy Crap!" Robin shouted, pretty rattled by the entire display.

"Oh my goodness! Beautiful!" Starfire cooed loudly with huge, glassy eyes.

"**SO** completely _sweet_…!" Beast Boy yelled excited

"Whoa…_incredible_…" Cyborg said softly

"Er…. wow." Raven said with surprise that was uncharacteristic of her.

Sub-Zero just smirked and bowed, motioning towards the ship with one hand.

"Monsieurs and Mademoiselles… I present to you…. (big melodramatic pause) **_The Fryse Wyrm_**."

"It is lovely! You came all the way here on it? How long did it take?" inquired Star.

"Oh…four 'er five days." Zero replied.

Raven glared suspiciously.

"Wait…you said you came from the far North…almost up to the North Pole? _No_ ship could go from there to here in five days! Especially not an old-fashioned one like that!" she protested hotly.

Sub-Zero chortled knowingly "Madame…this is no ordinary ship. Most modern ships still look like sea snails compared to this baby!"

She sighed, "If you say so…." She sounded skeptical, but she had a gut feeling she could expect _anything_ out of this guy.

"Uh…guys? It's getting kind of late… we should be getting back to the Tower" Robin pointed out.

"He's right…we should go y'all." Cyborg confirmed. He motioned back to Sub-Zero. "Yo, Zero! You need a place to stay for the night?" The other titans looked at him in surprise. "Uh….if it's okay with my friends, I mean."

Robin smiled "Of course! We couldn't refuse."

Sub-Zero just smiled back and raised a hand. "I am flattered by your offer…but no, really, I have a bedroom in the ship's cabin…and besides, I couldn't bear to trouble you folks further."

Robin shrugged "If you say so. I guess we'll see you around."

Starfire interjected excitedly "Oh yes! You must come visit us sometimes! We would be overjoyed by your company!" She even went so far as to wrap him in a bone-crushing hug.

"U-uh…sure…hack…but please..cough could you…oh,say…let go, Madame? I kind of need to breathe…"

She immediately released him and blushed sheepishly as he fell on one knee inhaling deeply. Star flew off after the other Titans who were already heading home.

"Well I'll see you around, then!" he called after them before they left.

Once they were gone, he turned to his ship and raised both arms. Using his cold-based powers, he created a bridge of ice leading down to the ship's deck, which evaporated behind him as he walked, so that by the time he reached the deck, it was gone.

He Entered his bedroom in the Captain's Quarters, and laid down on the bed, quickly falling asleep…but before he did so, he thought to himself:

'Hmmm…been here one day, and already made some new friends…this quest really **_won't_** be so bad after all!"

Well, esteemed and discerning readers, that's that! In the next chapter, the Titans are called off to stop a robbery and wind up facing a familiar trio of troublemakers…but these hoodlums have learned a few new tricks! Can the Titans take 'em, or will they need some…. assistance? Also could a certain young snowy swordsman make a new lady-friend? Find out Next time!

The Mad Phantom … 


	4. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: The Teen Titans sure as heck ain't mine and they never were, either.

A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Three

Sub-Zero awoke early the next morning. He got up, got dressed, went out on deck, and groaned softly as his eyes once again had to get used to the outside light.

He noticed the colors of the morning sunrise and smiled…such beauty alone was worth getting up early. He suspected that most folks in this town—Jump City, as it was called—had probably lost sight of the little things like this that made life such a joy, what with their technology and modern lifestyle and all.

He sometimes envied the outsiders, but this was certainly **not **one of those times.

Soon, his thoughts shifted towards yesterday and the new people he had met: An acrobatic young martial-arts expert, a sweet-natured alien, a laid-back half man-half machine, a wisecracking green shape shifter, and a gloomy young sorceress.

Yet, for all of her cynicism and grim behavior, he knew that Raven wasn't so bad. After all, were it not for the fact that Raven had taken him back to the tower she and her friends lived in after he fainted, he might've died from that terrible heat!

"Well…at least from now on I'll know not to overexert myself…. and to wear plenty of sunscreen." He sighed.

Adjusting to this new climate down south was going to be tough, but not impossible. What was of more concern to him was that, now that had finally found the place he had been searching for…….he had absolutely no idea whatsoever of what to do.

He knew he had to prove his worth as a warrior, and his original intention had been to come in, beat up on some bad guys, have the city name him a hero, and go back home and achieve knighthood at last.

"(Sigh..) Did the king have to be so vague about all of this? I guess figuring it out is part of the challenge."

After going below deck and getting a small satchel of money, as well as some bread, salted pork, and fresh water from the cargo hold (his 'breakfast', such as it was.) and ate it, he left the ship and set off to go beyond the tower, to the city itself.

"If I'm gonna be stayin' here a while, I may as well check this place out." He reasoned aloud to himself.

Meanwhile, back at Titan's Tower…

Robin was sitting in his room thinking. Yesterday, a stranger with superpowers (very formidable ones, at that.) had suddenly appeared on their very doorstep.

While the story he had told them was completely ludicrous, he did not seem to be lying. And he certainly had some compelling evidence to back it up (not the least of which included a frosty sword with an insanely-hard-to-pronounce name and a sunken ship that resurfaced upon demand.)

But even so, he remained just a little suspicious…

There was a knock at the door. "Come in, it's open." He said, not even looking up from his desk.

Beast Boy and Cyborg walked in slowly.

"Hey guys…what do you need?" he said, still not looking up.

"Well…" Beast Boy began, sounding nervous but grinning sheepishly. "It's like this….I was kind of thinking last night…er…and…Cy agrees with me…" Cyborg nodded "that well…. um…we should invite Sub-Zero over and…. have him…y'know…try our obstacle course."

Robin just sat for a minute. Finally, he turned to face them and gazed at B.Boy suspiciously. "Why?"

Cyborg gulped "Well…we—me and Beast Boy—talked about it this morning and, we haven't asked Star or Raven yet, but, … we think Sub-Zero would be a good addition to the team! Uh, if the others think so, I mean…." They both looked at Robin nervously, trying to gauge his reaction. Surprisingly, he didn't look shocked, or angry, or confused, or any of the reactions they expected.

He looked…well…excited.

"Guys, you're **BRILLIANT**! If he stays here with us, we can keep an eye on him and make sure…"

They looked at him funny.

"Uh…I mean…. Make…sure nothing happens to him! Yeah, that's it! After all he _is_ new here."

"Oh okay…yeah that's cool. Look we'll go ask Raven and Star, and, if they agree, we'll head down to his ship and invite him." Cyborg said in a relieved voice while Beast Boy nodded.

"Okay…you two go take care of that, then." They left.

Once they were gone, The Boy Wonder sighed to himself "I can't let slip that I don't fully trust this guy yet…and the others would just think I'm paranoid."

Back at Sub-Zero's Ship

Sub-Zero had barely gotten off the ship when all of the sudden he noticed that there were five familiar shapes coming towards him. 'The Titans? What would they want?' he wondered. He ran up to greet them.

"Why hey there! What brings you all back out here so soon?" he hollered as they came into view.

Cyborg grinned.

"Actually, man,….we just wanted to give you a little invitation, that's all." The big bot said.

Zero blinked "An…invitation? To where?"

"Where do you think? The tower!" Beast Boy explained to him. "We were wondering if you'd like to have a go at our obstacle course."

"You have an obstacle course?" Zero asked surprised. "Of course! Cy here built it." B.Boy said gesturing towards Cyborg.

"I see…. but why me?" he said pointing at himself.

"Well, it just occurred to us earlier that we've never really seen your abilities up close and personal." Robin explained.

"Unless of course, fogging up a window is the limit of your power." Raven added, trying to get him to come along

He looked utterly indignant "Fogging up….? Now look here! I'll have you fellows know that that was only a small portion of my capabilities! Why, I could freeze over your tower if I wanted."

Starfire recoiled in slight shock. "Please…Raven sounded serious, as she always does, but she only intended that sentence as humor! We do not doubt your powers…we merely wish to see them." She explained.

Sub-Zero puffed out his chest and placed a hand on Eviglasere. "Very well, then. I'm just gonna have to show you…. lead the way!" he said whipping out the sword and pointing it.

_-Several Minutes Later…-_

Sub Zero was out in an open area just outside titan's tower. Robin and Co. were nearby, standing behind a control panel. "Alright…on three………one…….two………"

Zero didn't hear him.

"Hey, this place is nice….but if this is the obstacle course then where's the ob—"

"…. THREE!" Robin screamed and pressed the 'on' button, causing several large gunner turrets to burst up from the ground.

"—stacles…….**_OH, CRAP!_**" he yelled, just before dodging several laser blasts from the turrets.

Instinctively, he held out his hand and shot a frosty-white freeze ray at one of the turrets, casing it's metal surface to suddenly become covered in thick ice and virtually rendering it a helpless ice-cube.

"Holy Mary! What are you guys playing at? Tryin' to kill me?" he hollered at them.

Cyborg shouted back " Man, some knight! Scared of some little blasters!"

Cy clucked and made a chicken pose with his arms and behind him B.Boy literally transformed into a large green colored chicken and clucked derisively.

"Scared! Oh, I'll show _you _who should be scared!" he retorted whilst dodging several more searing hot laser beams.

He started running straight at the turrets with his sword out and jumped over their shots, landing on one of them. The other turrets fired, but he leapt off at just the last moment, causing the gun he was standing on to get lit up by friendly fire. He ran past the rest and threw a ball of ice behind, which, upon hitting the ground, exploded into a bright, blue "Nova" of frost, turning the entire group of turrets and a small area of land around them into one big glacier.

At this point, he figured he was home free as he dodged a few more assorted tricks and traps easily and kept running ahead…until a large metal hatch opened up in the ground in front of him releasing a small swarm of flying mechanical drones, each armed with what looked like twin gatling guns on the sides.

As soon as they started firing, he lifted up both hands and released a mini-blizzard straight at them. All of the bullets the flying 'bots had managed to fire were turned into chunks of hail and the drones were frozen solid, remaining in midair briefly, right before careening to earth and exploding in a burst of fire and sparks.

"Well, well, well… who's laughing now, my friends?" Zero chortled and, tired and sweaty but still grinning, bowed to the distant titans.

He couldn't see them well from there…but he could've sworn they were all pointing behind him.

"What are they pointing---"

he heard a loud rumbling behind him…

"---at…oh no…." he gulped audibly before turning around to look.

From the same big hatch as before, something was coming up. It was a robot like the others…but **_huge_**. Certainly bigger than he was! One arm had been replaced by an even bigger gatling gun, while the other arm was a giant energy scythe. A large jet pack was built into It's back, and it's chest swung open on hinges to reveal a missile launcher. Where the mouth on the thing should have been, there was a long barrel that looked similar to the laser turrets

. "SWEET TAP-DANCING SNOWFLAKES! What the Hell is _that_ thing!" Zero screamed to nobody in particular.

He never got his answer though, because the "thing" in question immediately released a volley of rockets. "YIKES!" Sub-Zero immediately ran but was still thrown back by the sheer force of the explosion. He coughed and got up.

"Well then, if that's how you wanna play it…" He groaned and raised his hands, firing a few freeze rays at the robot…but it was unfazed

"Grrrr! Cyborg probably made it ice-proof somehow…" he realized, seeing as how they had known his powers ahead of time.

The thing raised its gatling gun and started spewing bullets like there was no tomorrow.

He leapt aside and did several cartwheels before breaking into a run, just barely missing all of the gunfire.

"Aw, that thing's gotta go!" he snarled, referring to the gun.

He unsheathed Eviglasere and ran at the big drone, intending to slice the gun off it's arm…but, unfortunately, the robot must have realized it's plan, because it quickly sliced out at him with the energy scythe.

He yelped and ducked, just in time to avoid an untimely decapacitation…. and then swung up chopping the scythe off with a well-timed slice from his sword. With no melee weapon, the bot retreated backwards with its jet. But Zero lunged toward it and sliced off it's gun as well.

Faced with rapidly dwindling combat options, the thing fired the laser beam on it's face.

Zero ducked and ran towards it again leaping up and slicing, not just the cannon, but it's entire **head **off.

The machine crashed to the ground in a lifeless heap.

Sub-Zero breathed a sigh of relief at this point…. but it wasn't long before the thing rose back up again, even with no head, and fired another round of explosive rockets. He was once again blasted backwards.

"Oh, now this is just **_ridiculous_**!" He hollered in frustration.

Then he realized…'that thing's freeze-resistant on the outside…but what about on the inside?'

The next time it opened up it's chest to fire rockets, Zero fired a freezing blast inside the chest, causing the rocket launcher to be coated with ice. The thing realized this too late, however, because it tried to launch another rocket barrage…only to have the launcher, clogged up with ice, overheating and explode, blowing the entire robotic monstrosity to smithereens.

Sub Zero walked up and thrust his sword into the ground where the thing had been. "You were good, man…. **real** good. But as long as ol' _Zero'_s around you'll still be second best, see? Its then that he noticed the titans running towards him. Well, robin and Cyborg, anyway. Star was flying, Raven was levitating, and Beast Boy had turned into a Pterodactyl and flapped along behind them.

Star was the 1st to reach him. "Friend Sub-Zero, that was so incredible! I _knew_ you could do it!" She gushed grabbing him into a powerful embrace.

"URP! Er….Starfire, I think you're cutting off what little circulation I got left…"

She let go and apologized just as Cyborg reached him.

"Nice job, man! We'll need to fix everything, but after a show like that, we don't mind."

Beast boy morphed back into his human form and gone up to him. "Dude! You have no idea how incredibly cool that wa---wait…cool….I JUST MADE A JOKE! Hahahahah!"

Raven smacked him in the head.

"owww….."

Then turned to Sub-Zero. "I have to admit….that was very impressive."

Robin was the last to come up "She's right you know. That was top-notch stuff."

Zero grinned. "Yeah…. thanks guys…. (Pant, pant)… but I got one question…"

"Sure…shoot."

"C-could I (Wheeze) trouble you for (Gasp) a glass of (hack) ice wateeerrrr?" he groaned slowly before abruptly passing out from heat and exhaustion right in front of them.

_----Thirty minutes later!----_

A young white haired swordsman groaned as he regained consciousness. He looked around to see a few familiar faces gather around him looking rather concerned.

"Welcome back. It's nice too see you're okay." Robin said with a smirk.

"Oh, friend Sub-Zero, it is wonderful to see you conscious once again! " Star said relieved.

"Sorry dude, I guess we kinda forgot your whole heat sensitivity thing." Beast Boy apologized while scratching the back of his head.

Sub Zero just shook his head and muttered "Nah, I'm fine." He realized he was once again on the couch with a large glass of ice water placed on a table just nearby. He promptly seized it and chugged the entire thing in one gulp. The Titans just stared.

" (gulp) My God, that felt good! That really hits the spot right about now!"

Robin stepped up. "Look, Zero….we need to level with you. There is another reason we wanted you to run the obstacle course. Sub-Zero…. we'd like to know if you'd be interested in…. being a Titan."

Zero, who had been chewing on a piece of Ice from the empty glass, choked and spat it out.

"Wh-w-what? Me? A Titan?"

Beast Boy broke in: "Of course! You said you had to prove yourself worthy to be a knight, right? What better way than being a hero?"

"You've got a point…. I'll tell you what. Lemme go back to my ship and get these clothes washed…" he motioned to his dirtied up white threads "…and I'll have a think about it while I'm there. When I've decided, I'll come back and tell you"

Robin nodded "Sounds good. We'll see you then I guess."

Sub-Zero managed to get shakily to his feet and leave.

Later that Night 

Three shady looking figures—one big, one small, and one in-between—approach the entrance of a large department store.

The small one is a young kid with a dark green jumpsuit with a pair of goggles over his bald head…he also wears metallic backpack, with a small controller attached and some sort of mechanical unit on his small chest.

The big one is a _real_ monster… a big behemoth of a guy with shaggy brown hair and a matching chin-beard. He wears a jet-black armless bodybuilder outfit adorned with strips of golden metal.

Last, but not least, the in between one is a slender girl with a black and purple dress, matching stockings and high-heeled dark blue boots. She has a shock of bubblegum pink hair that is tied up into two pigtails in the shape of an oblong 'U', almost in the shape of horns, and has pale gray skin, a little bit lighter shade than Raven's. A closer look at her face tells us that her pink eyes are narrow and cat-like…. they almost seem luminous in the darkness…

The shady teens make their way to the closed, locked doors which are kept locked by a number-code security panel.

"Alright…give me a second, and I'll have this little piece of crap hacked in no time." Squeaked the short whiz kid in a nasal voice. His name by the way is Gizmo.

"Hehehe…. no need." Grunts the big guy, the aptly named Mammoth.

Mammoth then proceeds to grabs the doors with one hand, and without bothering with the security lock, rips them off their hinges and tosses them behind him with a loud THUNK.

"Ladies first." He rumbles in a deep coarse voice.

"Mmmm, why thank you Mammoth." Says the gothy-ish looking girl from earlier. Her name's Jinx.

Jinx goes in and Mammoth stomps in after her. "Grrrr… big, stinkin', flea-bitten, show off!" Gizmo whines before switching on the jets on his backpack and hovering in after them.

"Alright boys…. you go that way, I'll go this way." Jinx says once they're in. "Just don't take more than you can carry."

"Right…. gotcha." Gizmo hisses, while Mammoth just says "Sure."

About fifteen minutes after they split up, Gizmo and Mammoth are in a jewelry store.

"Heh cool…. free bling"(A/N: I know, Mammoth wouldn't say that in the show, but that's what's so funny about it!)

"Don't get carried away hair brain!" Gizmo warned.

Suddenly, a new voice rings out.

"The only place you two trouble makers are getting carried away to is jail, where you belong."

Mammoth groans "Awww…. not again…."

Sure enough, the two thugs' fears are confirmed by two well-known words:

"Titans, GO!"

For the first several minutes, things did not go well at all for Gizmo and Mammoth. But after that, Gizmo had had enough.

"Hmph. Alright you crud-buckets! I didn't wanna do this but you forced me."

He presses a few buttons on his controls and his mechanical spider legs come out of his pack…except they now have large cannons attached.

"Let me introduce my new 'G-Cannons'!"

He shoots them at the Titans and they fire out copious amounts of disgusting, sticky, green slime.

"G as in Gooey and Green, of course!."

Cyborg spoke up "Sorry pipsqueak, but your gonna have to do better than—WHOA!" without warning, the stuff suddenly began to grow out of control and ooze around his body, as well as the others.

"Oh yeah! G as in Growing and Gripping, too!" Gizmo added.

In mere moments, the titans were imprisoned in the ooze, all thrashing about in vain, with only their heads above the green gunk.

Mammoth laughs deeply and booming."HAHAHAHA! Well now, whaddya say t'that Titans? HAHAHA!"

Mammoth and Gizmos victory is, at this point, unavoidable…or is it?

_Well guys, that's it for this chapter…. read and review!_

_**The Mad Phantom.**_


	5. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: The Teen Titans aren't mine, obviously, or I wouldn't be sitting here typing… I'd be RICH!

A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Four 

The last time we left the Titans, they were trapped helpless in Gizmo's sinister new sludge…and, unfortunately, they still are. Cyborg strained valiantly against the ooze, but it didn't give.

"Oh, man…. we're stuck, but good!" He groaned softly.

Beast Boy attempted to break out by transforming into an elephant…but the gunk just stretched and grew with him and covered the elephant as well. He changed back and sighed half-heartedly. "Dude…this stuff is, like, _unbreakable_."

Raven just scowled. Mammoth had tied her mouth shut with a window curtain before he and Gizmo left to steal from another area of the store, so she couldn't use her 'Azarath Metrion Zinthos' Chant to summon her magic.

Robin just remained silent and Star was straining against the ooze with her eyes glowing green in anger. "Chill Star…if I can't break it, you probably can't either." Cyborg said. She just went limp and sighed because she knew he was right. "But there must be some way to escape from this foul muck!" She moaned.

Robin nodded. "Don't worry yet guys…we'll think of something."

Back at Titan's Tower…

"…Hello…anybody home? Anybody at all?…"

Sub-Zero walked into the main entrance of the tower, met with only silence. He had come to the decision to join with the Titans, and had come to tell them, but how was he going to do that when he couldn't even find them?

After walking a bit, he finally got to the main room of the tower, and noticed a small piece of paper taped to the table by the sofa. Curious, he walked over to inspect it. It was a note, which read:

**_S.Zero_**

_**Had to go out. Will be back soon. If you come by, feel free just to sit and wait for us to return.**_

_**The Titans.**_

He blinked. "Well…that explains it." He sat down on the couch to wait. He noticed the remote control to the T.V., and after looking around (although he knew good and well he was the only one there", he picked it up and turned the T.V. on. He had always been somewhat fascinated by television sets… back home, they didn't have them, so he had only seen such technology a few other times in his travels.

For several minutes he flipped channels, looking for something to watch.

"Hmmm….Jump City's most wanted….too boring…..All my Children…..too melodramatic….South Park…too crude……hey, wait a minute,…this doesn't look too bad."

But just as he sat back to watch T.V., the picture fizzled out, only to be replaced a moment later by a young brunette woman with a ponytail sitting at a news desk. "We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you an important News Bulletin." Sub-Zero stared 'what could be so important to broadcast it this late.' "The old Deluxe Surplus Dept. Store downtown is rumored to have been broken into. The store's pricy merchandise makes it a common target for burglars, but this is the first time criminals have ever made it past the security system. However, there is nothing to worry about as the Teen Titans have already been called into action." Zero did a double take at the TV. "WHAT? So _that's _where they are! I should go help 'em!" He got up and ran out.

Back at the Store 

About an hour had passed since we last left the Titans, who were still unable to get out of their gelatinous bindings.

"Let's face it. There's no way out of here." Beast Boy moaned.

"_Eu contraire_! Where there's a will, there's always a way!" says a mysterious voice from the shadows.

Robin blinked "Sub-Zero!" he shouted

Starfire beamed "Thank goodness you are here!"

"Yeah, hold still a minute guys and I'll try to get you outta that stuff…"

Zero hacked and slashed at the green gunk with his sword, but to no avail---whenever he sliced a chunk, it grew right back. He ran a hand through his snowy hair and sighed in frustration. 'Think, man, THINK!' All of the sudden, he had an idea.

"Don't even think about it." Hissed a silky feminine voice from behind.

He turned around to see the three hooligans in question right behind them. Sub-Zero was the first to speak "You're the ones behind all this?" "That's right…and it's too bad you got mixed up with those stupid Titans…now you'll just have to get beat up too." Mammoth bellowed, right before charging at Zero. To everyone's surprise, Zero just stood calmly. Until Mammoth almost hit him, at which point he literally leapt over Mammoth, landed behind the now-confused behemoth, and hit him with a gust of icy wind that sent him reeling. Then, faster than you can say "Move over, Zorro!", he whips out his Eviglasere, and breaks into a run at the two remaining thugs, causing them to scatter. Gizmo brought out his 'G-Cannons' and smirked. "Looks like I'm just gonna have to slime ya again!" he cackled, but before he got a chance to fire, Zero fired off a quick volley of freeze rays, turning the cannons into big, metal Popsicles. Gizmo was mortified "HEY! No fair!" Zero chuckled "All is fair in love and war, sir…. and, obviously, this is not love." Jinx scowled at him. "Hmph. Lets see you freeze these!" she did an odd maneuver, like a ballerina spin almost, and started slinging neon-pink hexes at him, but he dodged with ease. "I'm giving you the chance to retreat now…my codes of honor forbid me from striking a lady, but still, it's obvious you are outmatched." Jinx just laughed "Outmatched? Why we've got you three to one! Mammoth get him!" Mammoth roared and charged again, but Zero, angry by this time, grabbed Mammoth's arm and, with strength that shocked everyone present, flipped Mammoth over him and right into Gizmo. "Umph! Get offa me pea-brain!" he squeaked while Mammoth just groaned loudly. They were suddenly aware of an icy sword being pointed at them. "**_Now_**, will you surrender?"

Mammoth and Gizmo immediately swallowed their pride and got hastily to their feet and ran. "This guy's insane! Let's get outta here!" Gizmo said. Jinx ran after them "HEY! Wait for me!". After they were gone, Zero turned to his friends. He rolled up his sleeves and shot several small freeze rays at the blobs holding them, freezing them solid and then he smashed them into pieces with his sword. "phew…Free at last!" Cyborg shouted. Robin stared at Zero. "Listen…uh…thanks for the help….if you hadn't of come when you did…"

Sub-Zero held up a hand to silence him. "Don't mention it…look, the main reason I came…besides helping you, I mean,….was to take you up on that offer of yours." He said with a broad grin. Robin smiled "So you're in?" Sub-Zero was silent for a minute. "Yeah…I'm in."

Meanwhile…

"Grrrr…I can't believe we lost AGAIN!" Mammoth snarled. He suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Wait….where'd Jinx go?"

Gizmo looked around "Well…she _was_ hollering at us to slow down…maybe we accidentally lost her?"

Mammoth groaned. "Well, I guess we better find her."

"I'm afraid there's no time…you are being pursued." They both turned around to see who just said that. Behind them stood a tall man with grayish hair in white, gold, and black robes.

"Headmaster? What are _you_ doing here?" Gizmo said.

He scowled at them. "What do you think? I'm bailing out a couple of my untalented students before they get caught."

Mammoth looked confused. "But what about Jinx?"

"Leave her." They both looked mortified. "B-but headmaster! We can't just…"

The headmaster's eyes began to glow red. "DO NOT QUESTION ME! WE SHALL LEAVE AT ONCE!" Mammoth and Gizmo's eyes began to glow too.

"Yes, Brother Blood….." They groaned in a zombie-like monotone.

Blood nodded "Good. Now come with me…oh, but first…." He reached into his robes with a sinister smile and pulled out a small disk-shaped mechanical device and stuck it to the wall. He pressed a few buttons and a small timer appeared on it and immediately began counting down. "There….that should take care of the Titans and that useless girl all at once…now come along, we should make haste! You'll see…you'll be much better off without her anyway…and you know what they say: out of sight, out of mind."

Back with The Titans 

"Oh dude…you totally saved our butts back there!"

"Yeah, if it weren't for you, we'd still be floatin' in that green crap."

Beast Boy and Cyborg showered Sub-Zero with praise, much to his embarrassment. "Aw, really fellas, it was nuthin'" he muttered, still looking pleased with himself.

Raven came up to him. "I guess I owe you some thanks as well." Sub-Zero shook his head. "Nah, you're the one who saved me in the first place, I guess this just makes us even." He grinned, and, to his surprise, Raven gave him a smile of her own. 'Odd' he thought 'I think that's the 1st time so far I've seen her smile.'

Zero was suddenly knocked to the ground by a purple and red blur. "Oh, thank you so much for saving us! We would have been lost without your intervention!"

"Uh…It's okay…really…just…. could you loosen up a little?" He groaned as Star gave him another bone-crunching bear hug. "Yeah Star…I think he's had enough for one night!" Robin joked. Robin walked a little closer and handed Zero a small walkie-talkie looking device. He blinked. "What's this?" "It's a Teen Titans communicator… you can use it if you ever need to get in touch with us." He explained. "You know, they're absolutely right…we owe ya one, man." Robin said. Zero just grinned sheepishly and nodded.

This happiness, however, was short lived.

POW!

The entire building exploded with no warning whatsoever, sending the Titans reeling in all directions. By the time they got up, the building was nothing but smoldering rubble.

"DUDE! What the heck just happened!" Beast Boy screamed loudly.

"Damn! They must've left a bomb or something…" Robin muttered, "Is everyone all right?"

Fortunately, none of them had been hurt in the blast. "HEY, LOOK!" Cyborg shouted pointing.

They followed his finger and saw, in the distance, Brother Blood, Mammoth, and Gizmo escaping on a floating mechanical platform. "After them!" Robin shouted. But Zero was confused. "Wait…wasn't there another? That cut---er, I mean, that strange looking girl?" he sighed…he had almost said 'cute'. He thought so anyway, but she _was_ the enemy after all. "Yeah Jinx…. but where is she if not with them?" Robin wondered

Sub-Zero stared at the smoldering store ruins…. and that's when it hit him. "_Good Lord! She's **still in there**_!" He moaned mortified. "You guys go after them! I have to get that girl out of there!"

And before any of them could object, he hightailed it towards what was left of the store. "Why is he so concerned about _her_?" Raven mumbled. Starfire shook her head. "I do not know…but he is right. We should pursue the H.I.V.E. Students!" "Titans, GO!" Robin yelled, yet again, and they ran off after the fleeing enemies.

Inside The Building Ruins 

Sub-Zero searched fruitlessly for about thirty minutes, finding nothing more than smoke, flames, and rubble. He groaned softly, the heat in there was really getting to him, and his vision was blurry. His body ached and threatened to collapse at any time…he had to find the girl and get out.

He made his way through the rubble and dodged the small pockets of fire and smoke as best he could…. He looked around frantically, but was unable to find her. He feared the worst.

Then, he thought he heard something…like a soft moan. He looked around madly trying to discover the source of the sound. He heard it again, and realized it was coming from his left, and sounded strangely muffled.

He jogged over in that direction, and was horrified to see a pale, slender arm in a black sleeve sticking out from under a large smoking pile of debris. He ran over and immediately started kicking away chunks of debris and even picking up armfuls of rubble and tossing them aside.

After a couple minutes of this, he reached the girl. Picking her up in both arms, he hastily removed his gloves and put a couple fingers to her neck.

(Thump…thump…. thump)

'A pulse! Thank the lord, she's alive!'he thought, relief surging through him.

She may be an enemy of his friends, and a troublemaker, but leaving her in a burning building to die was out of the question for someone like Sub-Zero.

He put his gloves back on, and ran with Jinx cradled in his arms, getting out of the burning building like a bat out of Hell. While he was running, he took out his communicator and turned it on. Robin answered. "Zero? What's goin' on? Did you find Jinx?"

"Yeah, I…."

Zero stopped and looked down at the unconscious girl in his arms…if he told his friends, they would probably have her thrown in jail, and, even though he knew she probably deserved it, he just couldn't do it.

"I…er…found her, but…she…got away." He finished lamely.

Robin looked surprised. "She got away? Dang…"

"Yeah…look, I'm headed back to the ship…did you catch those guys?"

"Nope…those scumbags got away too." Robin said dejectedly.

Sub-Zero tried to cheer him up. "That's okay. You'll get 'em eventually. Look, If you guys don't need any more help, I think I'm gonna head back home and get some sleep…I've had a long night…"

Robin nodded "That's fine…we're on our way back to the Tower anyway…I guess well see you in the morning…later."

"Yeah, G'night."

He switched off the communicator and realized that he had to hurry back to the ship…he wasn't sure just how bad shape this girl was in…

_Villain or no villain, she needed help._

**Well guys, that's it for this chapter. What'll happen when Jinx wakes up? Will She warm up to him….or give him the cold shoulder? Just read next and see, and, as always, please Review!**

_**The **_

_**Mad**_

_**Phantom**_


	6. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: Teen Titans? Nope, don't got any. S'not like I own 'em, y'know.

A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Five 

_**(A/N: This first part is basically the last part of the previous chapter, except from Jinx's POV)**_

Jinx, although just barely conscious, and unable to open her eyes or speak, was still somewhat aware of what was happening. She didn't know how long, she had been trapped under the debris, time was a blur to her, and she wasn't awake enough to realize that she had been under there for about thirty minutes, when she abruptly sensed a breeze of cool air…well, cooler than under the rubble anyway.

Though she wasn't lucid enough to react to this, she could've sworn that she felt herself being gently lifted up and held like a baby in a strong, but gentle grip. She also thought she felt someone's cool hands brushing against her neck softly, causing her to shiver involuntarily in her state of unconsciousness.

Abruptly after that, she was vaguely aware of being jostled around in the person's grip and soon, she felt a sudden _whoosh_ of cold, fresh air, making her wonder if they were outside. She was unaware just how long this went on, but soon she heard a person speaking, although she couldn't quite make out the words in her dazed, partially conscious state.

She did, however, manage to discern three words: _"She got away."_

Before long, she felt herself being laid carefully down in a soft, warm area that felt like a bed…and, in moments, exhaustion took it's course, stripping her of what very little cognitive senses she had left.

The Next Morning 

Jinx awoke slowly, blinked her eyes a few times, wondering just what had hit her. She was sore all over, and felt stinging sensations at various places on her body as if she had been singed earlier.

Then, all the memories of what had happened the other day hit her like a sack of bricks, hard and without warning.

She had failed to keep up with Gizmo and Mammoth, and, while trying to figure out where they had gone, had suddenly had the entire place go up in flames around her. She had been lost for a while, she was pretty certain Mammoth and Gizmo had both escaped before the sudden explosion….she remembered being suddenly crushed under a huge weight, and crying out in pain…she remembered moaning softly in agony before losing all consciousness, and then….something…no, _someone_….picking her up and carrying her away to God-knows-where….and now she had woken up here.

Jinx looked around at her surroundings, still a bit dazed. She was lying in a large bed, probably big enough for two-people, with plain white sheets, a large, thick blue blanket, and soft fluffy, teal-colored pillows.

The room around her had whitish wooden walls and she immediately noticed a couple plaques on the far wall, each bearing an animal head: The one on the left bearing the head of what looked like a polar bear, and the one on the right being the white and gray head of an arctic wolf, both with their fangs bared in ominous expressions.

Near the rear of the room, by the bed she was in, was a large metal desk bolted to the floor with a matching metal chair with a blue cushion. On the desk lay a messy assortment of books, papers, and pens along with a number of small tools that looked like lock picks and probes.

Nearby was an old looking bookshelf stuffed with a number of thick, dusty looking books as well as a bunch of papers with black, scrawled writing on them.

On the front wall of the room was a large door with a highly polished golden handle. Next to the door was an enormous map of the world in a metal frame that took up much of the remaining wall space.

Several round porthole style windows also dotted the room.

Jinx looked around wide-eyed, dazzled by this strange new scenery. If she didn't know better, she'd have thought she was dreaming! Her thoughts were cut short abruptly by a voice that made her jump, badly startled.

"Ahh, good, you're awake! I was beginnin' to worry, there."

She looked back towards the door to see that is was now open and the white haired young man that had trounced her and her partners the night before.

"You!"

"Yes, me. It's a good thing you woke up…breakfast is still hot, and I didn't want to wake you up…"

She stared dumbfounded 'Breakfast? He's a Titan and has me right in his grasp and he's talking about **_breakfast_**?'

"Here, I went out to town just earlier and bought some of these." He produced a large Styrofoam container and a glass of milk and walked over to the bed, holding it out to her. She took it with shaking hands and stared at it incredulously. She looked back and forth between the container and Sub-Zero before fixing him with a piercing stare.

"…What is _with_ you?" She hissed finally. He looked at her innocently "What?"

"You beat up my friends, help those stupid Titans escape and now your serving me breakfast?"

All of the sudden she realized something….it seemed obvious, but she was only just coming fully to her senses. "….it was you, wasn't it?

" "It was me what?" he said confused.

"YOU! You're the one who got me out of that building…you who brought me here…. wherever the crap here _is_. And I heard you talking to somebody…you told somebody "She got away". Were you talking about _me_?"

Zero chuckled and explained "Well, first of all 'those stupid titans' are my friends. And 'here' is my home…my ship actually, but it's my home too, I live here. Also, yes it was me who brought you out…you may be my friends' enemy, but I've never left somebody for dead before, and I don't intend to start now….enemy or no enemy….I told them you got away because…well…because they probably would've locked you in a cell, or something…and for all I know, you might deserve it, but I just couldn't….not after you almost got blown up and left behind by your own friends."

She listened to this whole thing and was astounded. He had to be lying! Nobody's motive's could be that pure_, nobody's_!

"Now…you should probably hurry and eat before it gets cold." He reminded her.

She looked down at the small Styrofoam container she was holding and, setting down the glass of milk he had given her, opened it up. She gasped when she saw it contained five or six large waffles and several small containers of butter and syrup…and judging by the slight steam rising off of it, they were still fairly fresh. A package containing a fork, knife, and a spoon was also included.

She stared at the food, then at the glass of milk, then back at him. She finally got her mouth to working "You g-g-got this f-f-or me…?" she stammered softly. He grinned and nodded… the tender moment was ruined, however, when a high pitched rumbling, gurgling noise filled the room. He started…"What the--? What was that?" Jinx blushed heavily and looked away. "um…that was my stomach" she mumbled shyly. "Oh, right…well then what are you waiting for? Dig in!" he said, gesturing toward the food. She needed no second bidding.

While Jinx ate hungrily, Sub-Zero walked over to his desk chair and sat down, content to watch her eat. She was rather menacing last night when she was with the other two, but in this situation she looked more harmless…maybe even a little attractive…

Zero mentally punk-slapped himself. 'What the heck am I thinking? I barely even know this girl!'

He looked back up and saw that she had already finished and was staring at him. He blushed profusely.

"Er….is something the matter?" he asked.

She stared at him with those feline eyes and did not answer immediately. Then, she said "They….just, left me?"

it was a soft question, he barely heard her. "Those other two? Yeah they were with an old man when they escaped, but they never even looked back…as a matter of fact, I suspect it was them who planted the bomb which destroyed that building."

She just sat there for a minute, but then began to shake violently. "They….just left me….they don't want me anymore?" she said in a haunted whisper. Sub-Zero immediately tried to calm her. "Well, I don't know about that, but……" he couldn't think of anything else to say…but he was even more alarmed to see tears appearing in the girls feline eyes.

"Hey, now don't be upset! It's no big thing…who need's 'em anyway? Besides, someone of your talent shouldn't be running around committing crimes anyway!" He said with a smile, trying to cheer her up.

She wiped her eyes and looked at him. "What else will I do…I'm a criminal…and I sure as heck can't go back to the H.I.V.E. now…" Zero stared at her baffled.

"Uhh…..hive?"

She sniffled softly and explained about the academy she had attended with her friends, and how there was no way they'd want her back if they had tried to have her blown up.

"I see…." He said slowly.

Jinx managed to stem her tears and ask "Where will I go?"

Zero thought for a minute and then grinned broadly "I'll ask my friends! Surely they would let you stay with them! I'll just explain your situation and I'm sure they'll…."

She cut him off "The Titans? Oh god, no, please, you can't tell them, you just can't!" She said immediately squirming around and she yelped when pain shot suddenly through her.

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy! Don't move around so much, you'll hurt yourself! You're still pretty banged up from last night….if you don't want them to know, then I won't tell them…but it seems like a good idea to me."

She shook her head violently. "No…it's not that simple…you don't know half of the things my friends and I have done to them…."

"No, I don't….but if you truly regret all those things now….er…you _do_ don't you?" he said unsure.

She thought and then nodded. "I've been an awful person….all for the sake of H.I.V.E…..and all they do is condemn me to die….i AM sorry, now…..but, they would never understand….and never forgive."

She whispered sorrowfully.

He walked over and knelt down to where he was eye-level with her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Look…you may have done some bad things, but everybody makes mistakes…and besides, if you don't listen to anything else I say, then listen to this…."

He softly took her chin in his hand and very gently turned her head to where their eyes met.

"It's never too late for a fresh start."

He got up and walked to the door.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go take care of a few things…you're more than welcome to stay here and get some more rest, of course."

So saying, he walked out the door and left a **very** heavily blushing young witch behind him.

She touched her face where he had touched, and sighed softly

"Why do I trust him….I trusted Stone…or Cyborg, rather….and he turned on us….on me…..how do I know Zero's not just the same?"

But deep inside, she felt as if she could trust him with anything. She smiled and laid back down in the bed and soon fell back asleep.

_**Well, that's that. Sorry about this chapter being so short, but I promise the next one will be longer. I hope I didn't put TOO much fluff in this one…but if so, review, and I'll know not to overdo it next time.**_

Mad Phantom… 


	7. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: Repeat after me…(ahem)…_He doesn't own…Teen Titans._ There now, that wasn't so hard, was it: )

**A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Six**

Sub-Zero sighed as he walked into the front door of Titan's Tower.

He felt terrible about only having known them a couple few days so far, and already, he was keeping secrets from them…but he couldn't bear to turn Jinx in. After all, she may have been a villain, but she herself admitted she regretted it…and besides: at the moment she didn't seem all that threatening, so why imprison her?

He met with the others in the Living room of the tower.

"Friend Zero! You have come for a visit!" Star cheered excitedly, while Raven, whom was sitting nearby cringed slightly at the Tamaranean's outburst…she had, apparently, been in the middle of her morning meditation.

"Hey." She said in an expressionless voice.

"My, my, I take It we're not a morning person, are we?" he teased the sorceress "But, yeah, it's good to see you too."

"Hey, welcome back! Want some breakfast?" Beast Boy asked poking his head out of the kitchen

"Oh, no thank you, I've already….wait….what…is _that_?" he inquired, referring to the dish B.Boy was holding up in front of his face…it appeared to be a couple of small white squares on a plate.

"Man, it's somethin' you don't wanna eat." Cyborg answered stepping out of the kitchen. "It's Tofu."

Sub-Zero stared at the substance warily. He had never heard of this 'tofu' but, if Cy disliked it, he'd rather not risk it. "Erm….as a said, I'd love to, but I've already eaten and I'm quite full." He lied, not wanting to offend BB.

Beast Boy just shrugged and downed the white cubes himself with a hearty 'gulp!'.

"Sub-Zero." He heard Robin's voice from behind him.

Zero turned around and greeted the boy wonder back. "Mornin'" But he noticed, a little unnerved, that Robin was looking at him very strangely.

"Zero…could I get you to come with me for a sec? I just need to talk to you…in private I mean?" He requested.

Zero agreed without a moment's hesitation. "Sure!" they walked off to Robin's room, with Robin leading the way and Zero just following him.

They walked down a long corridor with a number of identical doors. Although they all looked alike, to Zero anyway, he was guessing some of these were probably the Titan's rooms. Finally they came to one such door and Robin stopped, opening it up.

Robin's room had the lights dimmed; the only visible parts of it was a desk with small TV on top. 

The Boy Wonder led Zero over to the TV and grabbed a small tape from a drawer on the desk and inserted it into the TV. Then, he casually motioned toward a chair. "Sit down, make yourself comfortable." Zero complied, but inside, he felt nervous…why was it he felt as if he were in for an interrogation?

Robin picked up a remote control from the floor, and switched on the TV, which displayed only static, up until he pressed the 'Play' button.

All at once, the tape began to play, showing the entrance to a large building. After a moment of DeJa-Vu, Sub-Zero realized it was the same department store that the H.I.V.E. thugs had attempted to knock over the night before.

"How did you get this?" he asked looking over at Robin

"It came from the security camera…the only one that wasn't completely destroyed in the blast." He explained.

"Oh, I see…but we were there. We know what happened…why are we watching the recording?" Zero asked looking quizzically over at his friend.

"I think you'll realize soon enough." Robin said softly not looking at him.

Sub-Zero was perplexed by this response, but he went back to watching the tape without further questions.

The tape showed Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth walking up to the entrance and saying something to each other. Zero strained his ears to hear them, but their voices were muffled and incoherent on the recording, so he just watched. Mammoth, after a moment, rips the door off and they go in.

At this point, Robin picks up the remote and fast-forwards until the Titans arrive and Go in after them. Then, he fast-forwards some more after that until Brother Blood is seen to land in front of the door on a strange, floating metal platform.

'The same one they escaped on!' Zero realized mentally.

After Blood smoothly strides off the landed platform, he goes in. Robin then fast forwards to the point where Blood and Gizmo and Mammoth escape, and they are soon followed by the Titans, who do not arrive in time to see them fly off.

Robin fast forwards a good bit and then hits play again.

For a moment, nothing happens. Then, there is a large, muffled 'KABOOM!' that causes the speakers on the small TV to rattle and makes Zero flinch. The walls crumble and the picture suddenly fills with static, but then pops up again a moment later, except with a slightly poorer picture than before.

"The explosion!" Zero says. Robin nods "Mm-hm. Now, watch this part very carefully…"

Zero wonders what he means…until his eyes widen suddenly, he goes even more pale than he normally is and gasps softly to himself. "No…" he whispers in horror. Robin did not respond however.

Zero looks back at the display while Robin fast forwards again. By this time, Zero has realized exactly why he was brought here…and also realized he had just been caught in a lie. Robin presses play and the following scene plays out:

The Titans finally notice the slowly hovering platform in the distance and run off in hot pursuit whilst Zero takes off towards what is left of the building. Robin fast-forwards and Zero shudders because he knows what is coming up next. Rob hits play for the last time, and it isn't long before Sub-Zero is seen high-tailing it out of the burning building with an unconscious Jinx cradled gently in his arms. Robin turns off the TV.

Sub-Zero gulps and closes his eyes, unable to look at his friend whose masked gaze he felt drilling into him.

"Now look,…I'm not angry…and you're still my friend…but is there anything you'd like to explain to me?" Robin asked firmly

Zero takes a deep breath, and turns to face Robin. "Well…yeah, sort've…a funny story actually…"

**Back at Sub-Zero's ship.**

Jinx awoke again to the sound of a knocking on the cabin door. Sub-Zero came in looking pale and nervous.

"You're back…" she said, yawning. She had been asleep since he left the first time.

"Um, yep….listen, Jinx…can you walk alright?" he inquired softly.

"I think so…" she gets up slowly and takes a few steps gingerly, getting her stiff legs used to moving again.

"Good. It seems you've got some visitors."

"Wha? Visitors?" she looked at him puzzled. He motioned toward the door inviting her to walk out.

She walked out and glanced around the deck. Until she gasped loudly upon seeing the **LAST** five people she really wanted to see right before her. Zero came out behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Jinx, please don't flip out, but…" he was cut off mid-sentence.

"You lied to me…" It was a soft agonized whisper that the Titans were too far away to make out, but poor Zero heard it loud and clear. "Please…don't—" he was once again cut off.

"_You said you wouldn't tell! I **trusted** you!_" She shrieked loudly, this time EVERYBODY heard it loud and clear.

"Please, listen to me, I didn't…..!" she slapped him hard on the face and tears started to trickle from her cat-like eyes.

"Y-you…..you should've left me to burn." She whimpered softly.

Before anybody could react, she ran back inside the cabin and slammed the door shut with practically enough force to rock the ship.

Zero stood there, stunned, for a minute before collapsing to his knees and groaning with grief as the Titans went over to him, presumably to console him.

Well, that's the end of this one. Help me out guys. I'm not sure whom to put as the lead villain in this fic, Brother Blood, or Slade. I had originally intended on Blood, but Slade definitely seems to be a cooler villain. What do you guys think? Pretty please put your answer in a review, because if I don't get any, I'll just have to, like, flip a coin or something… : )


	8. Chapter Seven

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, plain and simple._

A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Seven 

"Zero, are you alright?"

"Hmph. You'd think she'd be a little more grateful."

"Dude, I can't believe she just slapped him!"

"He is upset! Please we must help him…"

"Hey, man, snap out of it…"

Sub-Zero listened to his friends' voices for a minute before composing himself enough to stand up and speak. He managed to get to his feet and reply to them:

"No I'm alright…it's just…Jinx…she must think I tricked her and ratted her out to you guys." He sighed softly.

"But you did not! You told us only after Robin saw you rescuing her on the video footage." Star replied, obviously distressed by recent events.

He nodded "I know…but, she doesn't. And now, she thinks I betrayed her…" he said. He closed his eyes and growled softly in frustration. "Some knight I'm turning out to be, eh guys? I try to do something right for once, and it blows up in my face." He lamented.

Cyborg stepped up and shook his head. "It ain't your fault, man. She's just…mixed up right now."

"Yeah…look, I'm gonna go talk to her, and explain to her what happened…. um…. could you guys wait out here?" he asked hesitantly. "I'm not sure how kindly she'd take to your presence."

Robin nodded the affirmative. "We'll wait out here. Remember, we're just here to talk to her, not to arrest her or fight." He said. 'Maybe this _wasn't _such a hot idea…' he sighed mentally. Already he had gotten her pissed off at Zero over nothing!

'If all Sub-Zero says is true, she might not be such a criminal after all…' he thought to himself. Back at the Tower, Zero had explained to him her reactions upon waking up and some of the regret she had expressed about her past crimes…but was she telling the truth, or just trying to weasel her way out of it?

That's why Robin had decided they should talk to her…not exactly an interrogation or anything, but just to ask her some questions.

Sub-Zero knocked softly on the door. Hearing no response, he carefully opened it up and stepped inside, ready to dodge any "bad luck bombs" she might be pissed enough to hurl at him… but, fortunately, she did not attack him.

She was sitting on the bed, with her back turned to him, and her arms wrapped around her knees, cradling her legs up in front of her. Although she made no noise, her shoulders shook violently, tipping him off that she might be crying. Slowly and hesitantly he went over to her.

"…Jinx?" he called her name softly, trying to get her attention without startling her.

"Get away from me." She hissed vehemently, causing him to flinch slightly.

"Look, we need to talk." He insisted, "I should probably explain why those guys are here."

"You don't have to explain _anything_! You **lied**! You told them I was here! You "_saved_" me and buttered me up with breakfast so you could turn me in to them! And I **_believed_** you." She sounded disgusted with herself.

She suddenly turned around to face him while she said this, and he flinched again as her feline eyes glared hatefully at him. He also noticed, with a pang of guilt, that she appeared to have been crying badly before he came in. The purple makeup she wore on her face had blurred badly from the tears that had been flowing across it, and her eyes were slightly puffy and swollen.

He shook his head violently "**No**! Please, listen to me, you've got it wrong!" he insisted.

"**_You lie_**!" she screamed, covering her ears and shaking her head violently. She turned back away from him, and he could've sworn he heard her mumble under her breath: "You're no better than Stone…"

He blinked in confusion…'_Stone_?'

"I don't get it…who is Stone?" he asked after a moment. She sniffled before replying:

"Your Titan friends didn't tell you about that?" she spat "Figures…Stone was just like you."

He shifted his weight uncomfortably "Like _me_?"

"Yes." She nodded, turning back around and glaring at him again with that piercing narrow stare. "He was my friend…maybe more than my friend. He went to school with me, and Mammoth and Gizmo, and all the others. He was always so nice to me…"

Sub-Zero looked at her blankly 'If I'm like somebody who was kind to her, why is she so angry?'

"But then, he turned on us. He was Cyborg the whole time! Sure, they could've just broken in and found out about the headmasters plans…hacked the computer or something…. but **NO**! They had to mess with our heads. They had to have a little _fun_ with us…with _me_…and was he even the least bit sorry for it? No, he **liked** doing it, the **_bastard_**!" she sobbed, the tears beginning to flow freely.

It didn't take much of this to make Zero decide he'd heard enough…he _hated_ to see people cry…

'Cy wouldn't have done something like that…would he?' he wondered.

Nevertheless, He walked over and sat down at the desk near the bed. He looked at her and said:

"You know, the only reason they are here is because the cameras don't lie."

She looked up at him incredulously. "What?"

He explained to her how the one remaining security camera had filmed him taking her out of the building, and how Robin had confronted him about it, forcing him to fess up.

She stared suspiciously. "How do I know you're not lying?" she whispered.

He shrugged. "You don't. But I was hoping you'd give me another chance…" he held his hand out to her to help her up "…to earn your trust, and hopefully, your friendship." She looked at him with misty eyes.

Deep inside, she wanted to believe him. But, could she? 'He's lying again!' One part of her screamed. 'No, it's a misunderstanding…just give him a chance.' Another part whispered. She shook her head, confused by her conflicting emotions.

He looked her dead in the eye. "So….can you trust me?" he motioned toward the door, where the Titans were waiting outside. She wiped her eyes, and nodded slowly, following him to the door.

However, the moment he opened up the door, Beast Boy fell in, having been pressing his ear to the door eavesdropping. Zero cocked an eyebrow at him and he laughed nervously. "S-s-sorry…couldn't help myself."

Thirty minutes Later, at Titan's Tower… 

The Titans were in the living room, crowded around the couch where Jinx sat, with Sub-Zero standing behind her.

"So…how long have you been with H.I.V.E.?" Robin asked.

Jinx was sitting in front of him on the couch, listening to him.

"Since about three years ago." She replied impatiently, not seeing how this had to do with anything.

"Okay. Why did you join in the first place?" He persisted.

She shook her head. "I didn't. I was sent." She corrected nonchalantly.

Robin stared. "Sent? What do you mean, sent?"

She smacked herself in the forehead. "I mean, my parents sent me to get me out of the house."

"You're kidding…your parents sent you to an evil school for young criminals?" he asked incredulously.

She shrugged. "They probably didn't know. They were just glad to be rid of me."

"Why would they be?"

"Back then, I had no control at all over my powers. If anybody got to close, they would suddenly have something bad happen to them for no apparent reason. So naturally, they couldn't wait to have me gone." She explained.

"Dude! They kicked you out just because of that?" Beast Boy asked. The subject of people who couldn't control their powers was something he knew a thing or two about.

She nodded. "Well, yes, but it was for the better. At the academy, I learned to focus my power into hexes and magic blasts."

"So that's why you committed crimes…simply for H.I.V.E.'s sake?" Robin asked skeptically.

"Well what was I supposed to do? Just get up and leave?" she snapped. "Maybe you don't notice but I don't exactly have a home to go to."

She glared at Robin for a second. "Why are you asking me all this?" she asked finally.

He shrugged casually. "Just to get to know you. Since you can't really be considered part of the H.I.V.E anymore, you're not really our enemy."

She snorted. "Yeah right…. you're trying to tell me you've already forgive me, just like that?"

Starfire floated over and spoke up. "Yes. If you are not our enemy, then you should be our friend!" she said "We have no reason to fight anymore, so we should…um… excuse and purge from our memory!" she chirped. Everyone stared.

"Ahem…. I think she means 'Forgive and Forget'." Raven explained

"Um, yes that is what I meant."

Jinx stared around. "Are you all serious?" she asked softly "After everything I've done, you don't hate me?"

"I admit, I doubted what Sub-Zero was telling me…but not anymore…not if you're really through with H.I.V.E….and as for a place to stay, we've got some rooms here." Robin explained.

"Yeah, and besides, any friend of his," Beast Boy said motioning toward Sub-Zero ", is a friend of ours."

She looked down at the carpet. "Well…in that case….I…I'm……..sorry."

"For what, exactly?"

"For everything. _For stealing your tower, and Robins belt, and Raven's cloak, and for making fun of you when you got brainwashed by that crazy lady, and…."_ She said all this very fast, running the sentences together without stopping.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down!" Robin yelled. "Look, whatever you're sorry for, we forgive you."

" And, to be honest,…… I've got some apologizing of my own to do." Cyborg said slowly. Everyone looked at him.

"Even though we **did** have good reason to try and find out what Blood was planning…the way we went…. _no_…the way **_I_** went about it…. was all wrong." Cy explained with a hint of remorse creeping into his voice. "I shouldn't have messed with ya'll like that." He said to Jinx "or y'all either." He said motioning towards his comrades, referring to the way he had pretended to betray them, only revealing his true intentions at the last moment with the shout: '**_Psyche_**!'

At these words, the young witch truly looked like she would cry at any moment. "Are you…serious?" she asked softly.

Cy raised his right hand as if he were taking an oath, and replied solemnly without a moment's hesitation: "**Dead** serious."

All of the sudden, there were the sounds of soft sniffling from the back of the room and everybody looked over to see both Star and Zero silently trying to hold back tears.

"H-huh? Dudes, what's wrong?" Beast Boy said worriedly.

" (sniff) I can't help it! That was just so…(Sniffle)…**_beautiful_**!" Zero stammered in a wishy washy tone. "Aw, _c'mere,_ you big mechanical lug!"

Without any warning, he grabbed Cyborg around the neck, and in a further display of his hidden strength, pulled him down in a headlock and started giving him a noogie.

Everybody in the room nearly did an anime-style, face-plant-to-the-floor.

"Yes, it is most rewarding to be finally be able to set aside our differences and be friends." Star sniffled, equally emotional over this whole thing.

Jinx looked around the room and smiled slightly, relieved that…well, #1, she wasn't being sent to prison. #2 Sub-Zero really hadn't lied to her and #3, the Titans were not nearly as hostile as she had at first thought.

Things went on like this for several minutes before Cyborg interrupted: "Hey who's up for dinner?"

"Alright! I'm so hungry I could eat a horse…if I wasn't vegetarian" Beast Boy said, turning into a big green horse just to make the point.

"Cyborg's got a point." Robin agreed. "Titans, Let's Eat!" shouted pointing at the kitchen and going in, with Starfire floating closely behind him. Cy, B.Boy, and Raven went next, leaving only Sub-Zero and Jinx left in the room.

Zero walked over to the couch again and put an arm on Jinx's shoulders.

"So…did I tell ya, or did I **tell** ya?" he said smoothing his hair back and gazing at her with his crimson eyes.

She looked at him and frowned. "Zero…I…. I'm sorry…. for everything I said back on your ship, and for _s_—for _s-slapping_ you." She said, having trouble getting out the word slap. "Can you ever forgive me…?" she asked looking into his eyes.

He shrugged "Well Hell, what's to forgive? You were just a little bit upset, that's all." He said with his trademark lopsided grin. "Heh…. maybe rescuing you wasn't such _bad luck_ on my part! Hahaha!" he laughed, making his own joke.

"Hmph. Hilarious." She said, taking a moment to catch the 'bad luck' crack.

"But seriously….I don't….know what to say…." She said looking down at her lap. "You didn't **have** to do all this…_any _of it…but you did anyway, and only for my sake…. I just can't thank you enough…." She whispered looking back up into his red eyes again.

"Oh, well…. it's nothin' anybody else would not have done." He said, blushing slightly as he noticed Jinx slowly, but steadily, moving closer to him.

"Yes, but still….I wish I could show….show how much I….appreciate it…." She just kept moving closer until their faces were almost touching.

"Er…well…I-i….umm…" he couldn't think of anything to say.

He knew he should be backing away from her, but for reasons even **_he_** didn't know, he moved closer as well.

Finally, their lips were just about only a quarter-of-an-inch apart…

"Hey there." Drawled a monotone voice from the other part of the room.

Sub-Zero jerked back and his eyes went wide as red Frisbees. Jinx gasped loudly and her face went from pale-gray to deep red in seconds.

They looked over in the general direction, and saw Raven staring at them.

"Are you two going to eat, or what?" she asked, obviously having seen the pair in action, but deciding not to comment on it.

"Uh…we'll be there in a sec…" Sub-Zero stammered. Jinx couldn't speak but nodded in agreement.

Raven walked back into the kitchen with the others.

Sub-Zero and Jinx looked at each other, blushed, and smiled briefly before walking off after them.

However…all is not well… 

None of them had noticed, but a small one-eyed flying robot floated completely silently outside the window. After hovering in place for a bit longer, it soared off to God-knows-wherever-it- came-from.

"Hmmm_…_.._interesting_." An ominous looking figure sitting on a large throne in the middle of a large black-lit chamber with enormous twisting gears and buzzing machinery, softly spoke these words.

He watched the feedback from the spy-drone on a huge monitor screen in front of him.

Without another warning, he laughed deep in his throat, a low, hoarse chuckle that would've sent chills down even _Sub-Zero's_ spine…

_**Hmmmm…..just who IS this new guy? (Yeah right, like you guys don't already know.) Read next time and as always, review!**_

_**P.S. : A big, heartfelt shout-out goes to Titan Power, Hotshot 45, and Twilight Soul Taker. in gratitude of their kind reviews. Glad you guys like it!**_


	9. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I'm running out of witty disclaimers…so I'll just make it brief. I don't own the Titans.

_**A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Eight**_

Dinner with the Titans was like no meal Sub-Zero had ever attended.

Cyborg and Beast Boy just sat around the table arguing about which diet was better: vegetarian or meat-eater, while Robin just sat and tried to put up with it as best he could. Starfire was as bright and cheerful as ever, constantly remarking about how delicious the food was or how strange it looked compared to her native Tamaranean dishes, and Raven just sat quietly in the far corner of the table sipping herbal tea. As for Jinx, she was sitting separate from the others and was eating a light salad B.B. cooked up.

Cy and B.Boy had done the cooking in the first place, so the meal itself was kind of bipolar. One half of it consisted of just vegetables, tofu, and soy food, and the other was more in Cyborg taste: pork chops, ribs, hamburgers, and hot dogs.

After settling on a couple burgers, Zero sat down at the table beside where Jinx was sitting. Personally, he despised vegetables, but he wasn't about to say that in front of the green changeling. He eyed the salad she was eating warily.

"Deuce! How can you _eat_ that?" he asked after a moment, but being careful not to let B.Boy overhear.

"What? It's good!" she protested, wiping a bit of ranch dressing from her mouth with a napkin. He shuddered.

"Yeah well, … back where I come from, people'd think you were mad if you went around eating things that grew out of the ground, so, forgive me if it seems a little… odd." The Ice-Adept explained. Jinx looked at him in disbelief.

"Are you telling me you've never eaten vegetables?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nope…or fruits, for that matter. Back in Norblitz, it's simply too cold to try and grow things…other than maybe small shrubs and trees."

She looked at him quizzically and asked: "Well…what _do_ you eat?"

He shrugged casually "Oh, meats and bread mostly. To be more specific, we eat a lot of wild game, although we have cattle too."

"Wild game? Like what? Deer and stuff?" she persisted.

"Well, yes…. but not just deer. …Wolves, bears, tusked boars. You know, that kind of thing. They're a little tricky to hunt, but very nutritious."

Jinx made a choking noise and stared at him, a small piece of lettuce dangling from her mouth. Finally, she swallowed and suddenly looked as if she had lost her appetite. "_Wolves? Bears? _ …. Oh God, **please** tell me you're kidding." She groaned looking ill. He blinked innocently.

"What's wrong with that? I mean, sure, hunting wolves that are as smart as you are, and bears that would just as soon maul you as look at you is no picnic, but once you kill 'em and skin 'em, they're easy to cook and taste pretty dang good! Besides, we only have so much cattle and we can't eat the horses because we ride them, and therefore, they're too valuable to eat."

One of Jinx's eyes narrowed and twitched (A/N: Think the expression she gets on her face in ep.3 Final Exam) and she pushed her plate away with a mighty shudder, clearly not hungry anymore.

He just shrugged and chuckled before taking another a bite of one of Cy's burgers…and suddenly getting a panicked look on his face and swallowing with difficulty.

"Wha? What's wrong?" Jinx asked, startled by his reaction.

He panted and quickly took a long swig of his drink. "Too hot!" he whispered hoarsely and rasping, while fanning his mouth furiously. He picked up the burger in one hand and help up the other hand on top. Gusts of cold air began to blow from his palms, cooling off the burger to where it would be too cold for most people, but just right for someone of his tastes. He downed what was left in a single gulp, leaving Jinx staring.

"You're an odd one, you know that?" she commented.

"Who, me? Nah…I'm just…. unique." he joked. He turned around and addressed Cyborg. "Hey, nice burgers! Too bad nobody cooks like _this_ back at home…"

The big bot just shrugged and grinned. "Thanks. It's not exactly wolf meat, but it'll do, I think!" he joked, talking about what Zero said earlier. They both laughed while Jinx and Beast Boy both looked sick to their stomachs.

The goofing off was cut short, unfortunately, when a blaring alarm suddenly went off and every light in the tower began to flash red. Zero choked on the bite he was chewing.

"What in the name of—?" he began, but he noticed Robin, B.Boy, Cyborg, Raven, and Star all running off down a hallway. "Come on!" Robin shouted, and perplexed as he was, Zero took off after them.

Jinx just sat dumbly for a minute before she realized she was the only one left in the kitchen.

"**HEY**! _ Wait_!" she said getting up and running after them.

" (huff, puff) Where are we going?" Zero asked Robin after he caught up.

" The operations room!" The boy wonder answered.

Soon enough, they arrived at a large room filled with Hi-Tech looking computers and equipment and a huge monitor screen on one wall. Robin strode forward and pressed a button on a control panel just below the big monitor screen. All at once, the alarm ended abruptly and the screen came to life with a blink and displayed what looked to be a large, detailed map, complete with labels and symbols. A large heading in bold print at the top of the screen read: '**_JUMP CITY_**'.

A large blinking blip appeared upon it, just above a large building-looking area labeled 'The Omega Research Laboratories' in underlined words. The blip itself was gray, and it read 'Cinderblock' in italics. Robin pointed it out to the others.

"There! That's our target." He confirmed.

"Cinderblock…again?" Raven murmured, sounding exasperated.

"Man, how many more times are we gonna have to whoop him?" Cyborg asked sounding equally frustrated.

Robin narrowed his eyes. "It's not Cinderblock that worries me… It's who he works for."

Beast Boy's eyes widened and he looked a little worried. "Dude…you're not gonna flip out over **_him_** again, are you?"

Sub-Zero blinked in confusion, feeling entirely too out-of-the-loop. "Wait…Cinderblock? Please tell me that's a friend of yours. And who do you mean by _'him'_?"

"Cinderblock is a large, stone monster that works for a wicked man named Slade. We have fought him before, and managed to defeat him with only a little trouble." Star explained.

Jinx suddenly flinched. "_S-slade_? **THE** Slade?" she whispered in disbelief.

"Yeah, your would-have-been boss. And once you seen the sort of thing you would have been working with, I think you'll be thanking us for beating you and your friends." Beast Boy said nodding.

Zero looked even more puzzled and groaned in exasperation. "Slade? Who's Slade?"

"What? You've never heard of **_Slade_**? I mean, I know you've only been here a few days, but he's in the news all the time!" Jinx explained.

The swordsman shifted uncomfortably. "Er, no, … should I have?"

"The only thing you need to know about Slade, is that he's pure evil…and also a man that's not to be trifled with." Raven said.

Robin broke in. "Look, we'll explain all this later, right now we need to go stop Cinderblock… you coming Zero?"

He bowed and nodded. "Of course! I can't very well be on the team if I don't help out, now can I?" he said with a smirk. Robin smiled back.

"I'm coming too!" Jinx said. Everyone turned and looked at her in surprise. "…You?" Beast Boy asked. Jinx swallowed nervously. "Yes… after how good you've all been to me… it's the least I could do…and besides, If Sub-Zero's going, then so am I." Zero looked surprised at the mention of his name and looked flattered.

"Uh…you're sure about this?" Raven asked "Cinderblock isn't exactly a pushover."

Jinx eyed her indignantly with feline eyes. "What do you think I am,_ helpless_? **You** of all people should know better than **that**… and at least I don't have to recite magic words that take forever to say just to use my powers." She hissed icily.

Raven looked angry and started to retort, but Zero broke in. "Please, ladies, remember that you're on the same side now!" Jinxed blushed and looked away, and Raven just sighed and nodded.

"He's right…now are we gonna go stop Cinderblock, or what?" Cy asked.

"Right….Titan's GO!…uh, and Jinx, too." Robin corrected himself.

They made their way down the tower to the T-Car and realized too late that they were going to have a tough time fitting in two extra people.

"Don't worry about it. We'll just follow you." Zero said waving his hand.

"On foot? You're crazy." Cy laughed at the idea.

"No, not on foot. Just go on, you'll see what I mean." He insisted. Finally they gave in, got in the T-Car and drove off at lightning speed.

Jinx looked at him. "_Now_ what?" He turned his back to her and said: "Grab onto me."

"_W-what? Why_?"

"Just trust me."

She reluctantly did as he said, and he suddenly took off running and did a tremendous leap into the air.

"AHHHH! Are you CRAZY?" the little witch screamed, thinking they were about to plummet onto the blacktop below. But the knight just smiled and didn't answer.

He held out his hands and sprayed frost out below him, which instantly hardened into a wide sheet of ice. He landed on it and began sliding along at an **unbelievably **high speed, at least as fast as the T-Car. He continued shooting out ice to continue the sheet as he slid, while the portion behind him disintegrated as he passed over it. He was gliding in midair on ice!

It didn't take long to catch up with the Titans.

"Holy…….look at THAT!" B.Boy said staring at the rear view mirror as if he'd seen a ghost. Cyborg looked at it from the driver's seat and gasped as he saw Zero gliding gracefully along behind the T-Car. He waved at them and grinned, mouthing 'I told you so!' while Jinx just clung him for dear life, and her eyes were tightly shut with the distinct expression of a person riding their first roller coaster.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…." Jinx whimpered frantically, clinging to his back and squeezing him tightly. She was so close to him at this point, he could practically feel her small heart thumping violently against his back.

"Uhh…you can open your eyes now… I promise, you're not going to die." He joked, trying to calm her down a little.

She managed to open her eyes and look out, but the moment she realized they were still about fifteen feet above the ground (and traveling about 90 MpH…) she turned pale and closed them again.

"J-just…t-tell me w-when we g-get…there…" she moaned, sounding like she was struggling not to lose the meal she had just eaten. He laughed and just continued grinding along the sheet of ice at top speed.

Soon, they arrived at the Labs. The initial sights were not reassuring… the large wrought iron gate that led to the entrance had been ripped off of it's hinges, and the actual automatic mechanical doors that led inside had been done the same… the security panel outside the door just showed static, as if the forceful removal of the doors had shorted it out.

They cautiously made their way inside… things were just as bad in there. Computer screens were cracked and sparked, showing only static, if anything. A few pipes jutted from the damages walls, leaking and letting off steam. Many of the doors were either ripped out of the frames, or were dangling on hinges…several walls had huge gaping holes going through them, as if Cinderblock had just decided to make his own doors.

Cy whistled and muttered, "Man, _somethin_' tore this place **up**."

The power in the labs seemed to have gone out for the lights, so the labs were almost pitch black… fortunately, Cyborg had also switched on his shoulder light to illuminate the way.

They walked down several darkened corridors and hallways nervously… the darkness and derelict scenery combined with the distant sounds of malfunctioning machinery and hissing leaky pipes created an unnerving atmosphere. Even the sound of their own footsteps echoed all around them, amplified and distorted to the point of unearthliness.

B.Boy broke the silence, if only to make things a little less eerie.

"I don't get it… shouldn't we have found Cinderblock by now? I mean, somebody _that_ huge couldn't just hide, could they?" Beast Boy asked.

"Maybe he's already escaped." Raven suggested.

Robin shook his head. "No way. The last time I checked the radar, right before we came in, he was still in this building… he's here, all right…_somewhere_."

Suddenly, loud gunfire could be heard in the distance.

"It's coming from there!" Zero shouted, pointing to a broken, unmoving escalator in the far corner that went down. They immediately went down it, and wound up in a basement looking area… the sounds of combat continued to echo from within.

They made their way towards the sound, and found a large vault… the door had been bashed in, and inside, there was another passage…but it was not made of steel, like the previous corridors they had walked through… it was a natural, stone passage… a **cave**.

As the Titans searched out the source of the disturbance, they found themselves on a large ledge overlooking a large cavern strewn with computer equipment, crates, and strange looking artifacts, and… at the bottom was Cinderblock, fighting it out with a team of armed and armored security guards.

The guards fired at the colossal golem with machine guns, but the bullets had little effect on the behemoth's concrete hide. Cinderblock bellowed angrily, and swiped the guards against the wall with his massive hand, packing enough force to make the wall give way, and crumble upon the unfortunate opponents. He growled deeply and began advancing ominously toward a cowering elderly man with a white lab coat and glasses…

"STOP!" Robin yelled out. Cinderblock looked back around.

The Titans, as well as Zero and Jinx leapt down from the ledge just in time to stop him.

"That's it pal… this time you're goin' down for good." Cy threatened.

"Yes! You have committed your final act of violence against humanity, you monster!" Star yelled hovering in midair, eyes glowing green and hands charging up with starbolt energies.

Robin took the initiative, and hurled a fistful of explosive discs, sending the big brute reeling with a massive blast, and Star quickly followed up with a barrage of searing, crackling starbolts that knocked him down for the count. But he was soon up again, roaring with rage, and began charging his way directly at them. Robin and Star quickly got out of the way, but Cyborg was too slow, and took a direct hit that sent him flying. As the rock juggernaut moved in for the kill on Cy, a chant sounded.

"_Azarath, Metrion**, Zinthos**_!"

Several flying crates and boulders that were all glowing with black magic hit him at high velocity, causing him to stagger and groan in pain.

The behemoth recovered and picked up some of the same crates, tossing them back at Raven who began to dodge, but caught her cloak on a pointed stalagmite. (A/N: or is it Stalactite? I forget which ones grow on the ground as opposed to on the ceiling… : ( )

She tripped with a gasp and landed on her stomach. She tried to scramble to her feet, but didn't have enough time to get out of the way. She braced herself for the impact of the large crates…but it never came.

A timely blizzard of freeze rays had found it's way to the projectiles, turning them into harmless chunks of ice that fell to Earth and shattered into a multitude of tiny pieces.

Raven opened her eyes to see Sub-Zero standing over her. She stared.

"…thanks." She said getting to her feet

"No problem…but don't thank me yet. We still have to…ACK!" Zero was cut off mid-sentence as the huge, concrete lummox grapped him in a rock-hard grip.

"Zero!" Raven shouted. Her eyes glowed black and she began to chant again. "Azarath, Met…AHHH!" Before she could finish, Cinderblock had punched her back into one of the crates, knocking her out like a light.

Zero struggled valiantly in the stone leviathan's grip, but to no avail…he couldn't break free.

"_Leave…..him……**ALONE**_!" Jinx screamed from behind, and her eyes started glowing neon pink. Fluorescent pinkish flames suddenly surrounded a large cluster of giant stalactites…. Moments later, they shattered at their bases for no apparent reason, raining down like huge terrible needles. They hit the hard giant dead on, but from sheer luck, never even touched Zero. Cinderblock was pushed to the ground by the sheer force of impact, freeing the icy knight from his grip.

"Nicely done!" he called to Jinx. She blushed and looked away, just relieved that he was not hurt.

While Cinderblock was pinned to the ground, Cy charged up his cannon and fired off a sonic beam that shook the cavern… when the dust cleared, Cinderblock was charred and damaged, but still very much fighting. He snarled ferociously and broke free, tossing one of the stalagmites at Cyborg with a mighty grunt. But a large green condor appeared from nowhere and caught it, swooping back and dropping it on the giant's head, where it shattered into shards. The bird landed and morphed into a rhinoceros that charged Cinderblock with his horn, and knocked him off of his feet. The green Rhino changed back into Beast Boy, and rejoined the others, who had regrouped.

"Cinderblock! Enough foolishness! Grab the artifact!" a deep, masculine voice rumbled.

The Titans gasped collectively at the terrifying realization of whom the familiar voice belonged to. Robin whispered one word, quiet but furious. "Slade….."

Indeed, they looked up to see a menacing figure in a black suit with steel arm covers, gauntlets, and shoulder guards. Over his face he wore an orange half-mask, with the other half of his face covered by a dark black material. Only one, cold, menacing eye was visible.

Cinderblock, hearing his master's words, ran over and grabbed a large, stone tablet, with several rows of strange hieroglyphics and pictures covering it's surface. It's edges were covered in complex, but bizarre looking patterns. Hoisting it over his stony shoulder he ran towards Slade.

"GET HIM!" Robin hollered…but before they could do anything, Slade laughed, reached into his belt, and threw a small capsule to the ground. A sudden combination of white, bright, blinding light and thick billowing smoke erupted from the spot, blinding all present.

When it all cleared…..Slade, and Cinderblock, too…..were just gone, leaving a small group of bewildered superheroes in their wake…

That's the end, guys! As usual, reviews are greatly appreciated and thanks for taking the time to read!

**T H E M A D P H A N T O M**


	10. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: The Teen Titans ain't… excuse me, _ARE_ **NOT**…. Mine.

A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Nine 

"_The artifact! He's stolen **the artifact**_!" yelled the elderly scientist the Titans had just saved from Cinderblock. "That was a very valuable find! … But then again, … at least I'm alive." He added sheepishly.

Robin walked over to him. "Okay…look. What was so special about that rock, and do you have any idea why Slade wanted it so bad?" he asked seriously. The small, wrinkled man adjusted his glasses and explained.

" That 'rock' was a very valuable discovery we unearthed in this very cavern. You see, we were testing out some new radar systems the other day…we planned to use them as additional security, pity we were too late…. and, during the test run, they began to pick up…. _something_…. from down here. Naturally, we couldn't figure out what would be underground sending us these strange readings, so we immediately organized a dig. And, among other rare, ancient artifacts," he motioned around to the large golden cups, vases, and pottery, and strange jewels and crates full of other antiquities. "… We also discovered the large stone slab that they just stole."

"But _why_? Why would they want it?" Robin persisted impatiently.

The twitchy little man gulped nervously "I… I honestly do not know. We had just finished translating the strange runes and pictographs that covered the artifact… but it didn't make any sense… it was just… odd babble." He said. Starfire floated over spoke to him:

"Could you tell us what it said? It may prove useful in identifying Slade's reasons for stealing it." She requested.

"Of course." He replied with a shrug. "But as I said… we simply couldn't make heads or tails of it." He walked over to a small metal rolling-desk on wheels and started typing at a small computer on it. Soon, a piece of long paper began printing out…

Once it was done, he handed it to Robin. He read it aloud.

"_On the wind, 'cross the sea,_

_Toward the lands that time forgot._

_  
Power beyond imagination,_

_Many a foolhardy noble and villain have sought._

_Powers of darkness, powers of light,_

_Might to triumph among any fight._

_This might is hidden in icy maze deep,_

_Within the mountains, ever so steep._

_The land is lost, the entrance concealed,_

_For it seals away things to make the very blood congeal._

_But in this frozen labyrinth, take heed:_

_Mind your wits, your life to save,  
_

_Lest you discover an icy grave, knave…"_

Robin eyed the man suspiciously. "It said all _that_?"

"Yes… like I said, it makes little sense. We theorize it might be some sort of myth or legend, and as such, of little importance." He said matter-of-factly.

"I thought you said it was a valuable find." Robin protested.

"Oh, it is. But not because of what it says…but how it says it." He said cryptically.

"Um…I'm afraid I don't follow you." Sub-Zero said.

The old scientist puffed up proudly and said: "These writings were not in Greek, or Egyptian, or Latin, or Old English, or any of the languages we had at first thought… there is no doubt about it. It was a completely new language, one nobody has ever discovered before! If our theories can be confirmed, we may have just discovered a lost civilization! This is major stuff we're onto, here at Omega Labs."

"All of that aside… was there anything else unusual about this particular stone?" Raven asked.

"Well… now that you mention it there are a couple of things. As I said before, it gave our radars some VERY strange readings… readings we couldn't identify."

" Also, the damned thing seems to have defied every type of test we've preformed upon it. We ran every scan we could think of, but they all came up negative, or with errors. All attempts to study except for simply walking up and looking at it… have failed.

"Beyond that… it somehow manages to keep a constant temperature. We have no idea how, as only living things are supposed to be capable of homeostasis…er, staying the same temperature…" he explained, seeing a few puzzled looks.

"But for whatever the reason, that stone relic maintains a constant 0 degrees Celsius, or 32 degrees Fahrenheit." He concluded. "What is even stranger… is that temperature happens to be the exact point at which water freezes."

Sub-Zero's interest was piqued by all this mention of ice and freezing. "So you have no idea what it means?"

"No sir… not the foggiest." The scientist said.

_Much later, back at the Tower:_

Robin was in his room staring at the sheet of paper the head scientist had given him. The words, for some reason, made him think of Sub-Zero… but it could only be a coincidence. He would have nothing to do with any of this… would he? Robin sighed and repeated the stone slab's words over to himself…

Hmm… it talks a lot about power… major power. That's enough reason for Slade to be interested in it though… which was true enough, considering Slade was always looking to become more powerful.

' Icy Grave' he thought. ' It sounds as if it's guarded by something…'

He continued trying to piece together the puzzle, while staring intensely at the words just in front of him.

"Arrgh!" he yelled, become frustrated and a little pissed. "Okay, okay, so it's power of some kind, and its guarded… but _where is it_?"

There was a knock on the door. "Come in…" he answered wearily.

"…. Robin?" a soft, hesitant voice said… It sounded distinctly Tamaranean.

He turned to face her. "What do you need, Star?" She looked at him strangely.

"I was looking for you… you have been locked away in here ever since we returned home." She said. "Robin…are…. are you all right?" she asked, deciding to get to the point.

He rubbed his temples and groaned.

"Truthfully, no… I've been trying to figure this out, but… that scientist is right. It just doesn't make any sense! I mean, I understand the words themselves, but… it's like it was talking in riddles… I just can't make anything of it." He said "And its giving me a headache!" he snarled, rubbing both sides of his head.

"The man at the labs said it was just some old legend… not of any significance." Star said. "… Perhaps you are straining yourself over nothing." She finished, trying to coax him into relaxing for a while.

"Maybe… but then why would Slade steal it? For what purpose?" he demanded.

Star sighed in frustration and burst out: "Robin, you are trying to do to much! Please… if not for yourself…then for all of us… please, just come out and relax yourself… you are only harming yourself by shutting us away like this!" she stared him down pleadingly with her vivid green eyes. He blinked, surprised by her outburst… but then sighed and smiled.

"Oh, alright… I'll lay off the Slade stuff for now."

She beamed at him. "Oh, splendid! You must come down and watch Cyborg and Beast Boy! They are teaching Sub-Zero and Jinx how to play their games! It is quite amusing." She bubbled.

Robin just stared. "… They're _What_?"

Downstairs… 

"Boo-Yah!" Cyborg yelled for the fifth time in fifteen minutes. He had just racked up the seventh kill on their game. The rest of the scorecard looked something like this:

**_Cyborg-7 _**

****

**_B.Boy-5_**

****

**_Sub-Zero-3_**

****

**_Jinx-1 _**

Beast Boy growled in frustration. He _hated _losing…

Sub-Zero, on the other had, was having the time of his life. "This is GREAT! Man, I've got to convince the others back home to give electricity a shot… if only to be able to do this!" This was the first video game he'd ever played.

Jinx just sat quietly. She had never cared much for games, but when Zero volunteered, B.B. had said they should find one more person to make it four… three was kind of an odd number to play with… and Cyborg had insisted for her to give it a try. She would've had more fun, probably, but she was terrible at it and kept losing.

The next match started: all combatants were armed with basic silenced pistols. The level was scattered with health, armor, weapons and ammo. The rules? Take out the other players as much as possible.

'3…2…1…GO!' the disembodied announcer shouted.

Immediately, Cyborg's player dashed from his starting point and quickly made his way to where a machine gun was located and grabbed it. He hid behind a nearby crate and waited… in a moment, B.Boy ran by, and Cy lit him up from behind.

"Aww, that was _totally_ weak! You sneak attacked me!" the green joker whined, while the big bot just laughed.

But Cyborgs fun was cut short when he was suddenly taken out from behind as well…

"What the…?" he started. He turned the camera around to see another player in pink and labeled 'JINX' was standing behind where he had been with a large chainsaw. She giggled impishly and winked at him with her pink, cat-like eyes.

"It's about time…" she said, satisfied she had at least gotten another score in.

Cy and B.B regenerated and took off looking for weapons and other players… they didn't have to look far before they found each other…and since they were both stuck with little crappy pistols, they ducked behind various bits of scenery and started an old fashioned gunfight, poking their heads up only to fire off another shot.

"Face it man… I'm just too good!"

"Oh yeah? Well, we'll see about that…"

They were suddenly interrupted when a grenade was tossed in between them. They had enough time to stop shooting at each other and look dumbly at the grenade before it exploded, sending them both flying.

"Ha ha! Two with one stone…or should I say frag?" Zero cut in smugly. They turned to look at him dumbfounded.

After regenerating again, Cy got fed up with this and ran off to the nearest shotgun and grabbed it. He hunted down Beast Boy in no time flat and took him out with a well-placed pair of 12-gauge shells.

"Oh, not again!" B.Boy groaned

He found Jinx soon afterward and approached her, intending to wipe her out in one shot. She still had the chainsaw at this point, but she knew she couldn't get close enough to use it without being blown away…

"Sorry, looks like your beginners luck just ran out." Cy chuckled raising the barrel, and Jinx just gulped realizing she was trapped. She just stood and waited for the inevitable…

… … … … BANG!

A loud shot rang out… but it wasn't that off a double-barreled shotgun. Cy stared in confusion before realizing he had just been taken out with a single precision shot to the head by a powerful bullet.

Equally surprised, Jinx looked around before spotting a blue player labeled 'SUB-ZERO' standing on a nearby rooftop, holding a scoped sniper rifle.

"I say… I do believe I'm getting the hang of this 'game' thing." He chuckled while Cyborg shot him a dirty look and Beast Boy laughed his head off. The Scorecard now looked like this.

_**Cyborg-9**_

_**Sub-Zero-6**_

****

_**Beast Boy-5**_

****

_**Jinx-2**_

****

****

"Oh, all right… I've had enough." Cyborg said in mock anger. "I say, we play it again… this time just _you_…" he pointed at Zero "and **me**."

"Hmm… I'll consider that a challenge Monsieur." Zero answered in an equally sarcastic tone with a smirk. "One, which I readily accept."

So they set the match up. Cy and Zero started the level again, while B.B. and Jinx just sat and watched.

"Oh man…. Cy's gonna light you up!" Beast Boy snickered.

"No… I think Zero's going to win." Jinx said shaking her head.

B.Boy seemed surprised. "Are you serious? Cyborg been playing these all his life! This is Zero's first time! It just seems unlikely he'll win."

"Just sit back and watch, veggie boy." The sorceress giggled.

"Yeah… and us too." Robin said from behind, making everyone jump.

"Huh? Dude, I thought you were still hold up in your room." Beast Boy said smiling.

"Nah… Star thought I needed a break so…" he smiled at the alien girl. It was a good thing she was not looking directly at him, because she was suddenly blushing heavily.

"Erm… yes! We have come to watch your game!" she said, pointing to the television.

"Ahh, good…. You're just in time to see a 6-foot tall robot get his metallic hide tanned!" Zero taunted.

"Heh… we'll just see about that, Snow-Boy…"

Meanwhile, in Slade's Lair… 

Slade stood in a spotlight, carefully examining his newest prize: The Stolen Artifact. Within minutes of stealing it, his hi-tech computer systems had been able to crack the ancient writings and translate it into English… a process that had taken the scientists at Omega Labs much longer.

On a monitor near the far wall, the Titans were seen in their living room, playing the Gamestation.

"Poor fools. They don't even realize the power in this magnificent stone… Robin is the only one who seems to grasp it's significance… and even HE doesn't understand it fully." The villain said coolly, his voice cold and unemotional.

Slade ran his metal hand along the stone slab fondly. "Soon… very soon… the power and omniscience spoken of in ancient lore will be mine… or should I say…**_ours_**…**_partner_**."

Slade turned around to face a slightly taller, though not as well built figure skulking in the shadows.

The silhouette walked out and revealed itself as a tall, elderly man with formally styled gray hair, and long, lavish robes in white, black, and yellow… _Brother Blood_. He smiled at his new 'partner'.

"Oh, yes… the Titans have foiled us both before," he said "… but with our combined powers, we shall be_, in a word_, **invulnerable**." He said all this in a friendly, businesslike tone, but his eyes remained cruel and calculating.

Both villains tilted their heads back and laughed sinisterly, a combination of Slade's coarse, rumbling chuckle, and Blood's maniacal cackling, echoing all over the walls of the hidden lair…

_**To Be Continued…**_

**__**

**As always people, review if you don't mind. Thanks for reading this far.**

_The Mad Phantom..._


	11. Chapter Ten

-Disclaimer: _I DON'T OWN THE **$&#? ** TITANS ALREADY! … _Sheesh

A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Ten 

"Alright, _Sir Freezealot_, you're goin' down…**hard**."

"**Touché**, _Mr. Roboto_."

The game announcer one again counted down the match: "3… 2… 1… GO!"

Immediately, Cy and Zero were off in pursuit of one another.

Cy had set this one up to be a special match. He and Zero were the only players, there were no weapons, health, ammo, or armor scattered around the level anymore, and they were both armed with scoped, automatic rifles.

It didn't take long for them to find one another.

"Eat lead!" Cy laughed and immediately opened fire. Zero, however, leapt over his shots and bashed him in the head with the butt of his rifle as he landed… and then ran off, laughing.

"Grr…lucky hit." Cy muttered

"Lucky? Heh, I'd say it's more just a test of reflexes and skill." Zero retorted.

Cyborg stomped off in pursuit, carefully keeping his eyes peeled, lest Zero ambush him. Zero however, was standing on the roof smiling. He kicked a large barrel with a 'highly flammable' label off and shouted "Hiyah!"

Cy, naturally thinking Zero had jumped down to attack him again, reflexively whipped around and let fly with bullets… realizing too late he had just blasted an explosive barrel…

KABOOM!

Cy was utterly splattered by the blast, and a small message popped up onscreen, saying: 'SUB-ZERO WINS' Cy stared in disbelief while Zero chuckled. "Looks like I didn't even have to waste ammo on ya."

Beast Boy was dumbfounded. "Dude! He just beat Cyborg on his first try!"

"And without firing a shot…" Jinx said, just as impressed.

Zero turned to the big man, and held out his gloved hand and grinned sheepishly. "So… no hard feelings, right?" Cy grinned back "Nah… I guess I'm just out of shape."

The two competitors shook hands and grinned.

Back at Slade's Lair 

Slade stood calmly in front of a large computer screen with his hands folded behind his back. The monitor was connected to several large cables that, in turn, attached to a large metal platform with a glass casing. On the platform was the stolen stone, and it was currently being studied by a large number of automated cameras, probes, scanners, and sensors. Large bold words on the screen read:

SCANNING IN PROGRESS… … … … 

**Percentage Completed… … … …67 and counting.**

"Soon… very soon, the secrets of this artifact shall be revealed. Those fools at Omega only saw part of the solution. They cared more about what it said in plain sight… any fool should have seen that this stone's most valuable secrets… were on the inside."

So saying, he turned and addressed Brother Blood, whom was also watching the screen.

"We will need a diversion. The Titans cannot be allowed to realize the true significance of this find. You said you could provide a suitable solution to divert their attention, correct?" he said in his typical, eerie voice.

"Correct." Blood said with a nod. "My troops are at the ready, and are prepared to launch a full scale assault upon Titan's Tower at your bidding."

If Slade's mouth were visible, he probably would have been smiling cruelly.

"Very good…"

Several Hours Later… 

Raven sat quietly in her room, reading a thick book, presumable some novel. All of the hubbub earlier over Sub-Zero and Cyborg's little video game battle had been much too noisy for her taste, so… she had taken refuge in her room.

Before reading, she had tried for a few minutes to meditate, but to limited effect. She had an unexplainable feeling… she felt nervous, although she didn't know why. In a way, she felt almost sick to her stomach and she felt herself filled with dread, as if impending some forthcoming disaster.

Dismissing these feelings as aggravation from all the earlier noise and activity, she then turned to her books… but she soon found she still couldn't relax…

She sighed softly and thought: 'What's wrong with me… … is something terrible about to happen…?'

Elsewhere, Starfire was on the roof of Titan's Tower gazing up at the twinkling stars above, as they lit up the night like rays of hope in a bleak horizon. She smiled happily as she watched them shine in the black night sky.

She got awfully homesick for her native Tamaran sometimes, and when she did, looking at the stars always seemed to comfort her.

Maybe it was because they reminded her of space, and of the fact that if the stars were close enough to be seen, then Tamaran probably was so far off after all. Or, maybe it was the fact that she took part of her name from the stars. Either way, it amounted to the same thing.

The young alien was suddenly brought out of her reverie by a voice from behind… **_Robin's voice_**.

" Star?" He said hesitantly, not sure if she would take offense at him intruding on her privacy.

She turned around and beamed at her masked friend, no trace of offense or anger whatsoever. "Yes, friend? Did you want something?"

"Oh, no, no…. just wanted to talk…if you're not busy…" he added hastily.

"Not at all! I was merely…err… enjoying the view." She said, a little embarrassed to admit she had been stargazing.

"Well… I wanted to say 'thanks'…y'know, for convincing me to take my mind off Slade for a while… I didn't think so at the time, but… it helped." He said gratefully.

Star beamed in response, and her entire person seemed to be aglow with happiness.

"Star… I was also wondering… do you ever…uhh … No, never mind." he said, deciding the question was a little too personal.

"No, please do not hesitate to ask! I will answer, if I can." She said quickly. As strong as her feelings were for Robin, the last thing she wanted was for him to be afraid of asking her things.

"Well, I…. I was just curious… Do you ever, like… miss your home? Your planet? I was thinking about it earlier and thought that it must be hard to live here when your home is so far off all of the time!" he said

Star stared in disbelief. It was like he was reading her mind, somehow!

"Well…in truth, I…. I do, sometimes. That is why I came out here to look at the stars. But also… I have always thought of this small place as my secondary home. Even though I was not born, nor raised here, and don't know much about it…. I feel…_comfortable_…here." She said simply, unsure how to phrase it more accurately than that.

Robin walked over and sat down near where she was floating. He looked up at the starry night sky, and saw that she had a point… it was very comforting, and the sort of thing so many people, himself included, always take for granted.

"Oh, they are so lovely, are they not?" Star sighed dreamily.

Robin looked at her and nodded. He smiled and said: "Yeah, you're right… they are. _But_…"

She looked at him curiously. 'But?'

He grinned and put an arm around her. "_But_… I think I know of **one** little star in particular… that's the most beautiful out of **all** of them."

He got up and walked back down into the tower saying, "If you need me, I think I'm going to watch some T.V."

A few moments later, the only ones left outside were a bunch of shining stars… and a certain one of them had a deep red blush covering her face.

In another room in the Tower, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Sub-Zero had just finished cleaning out an old storage room filled with mainly just trash and junk. Now, it was clean, empty room.

Cyborg was effortlessly lifting a large desk with a vanity mirror attached and toting it into the room.

A large green ox with a T.V. Box on it's back trotted in after him, and Zero came in last carefully pulling in a black, metal bed frame with pinkish mattress and neon pink satin sheets. Poofy purple pillows were stacked on top.

Normally, all this would be to heavy for normal people to carry, but then again, our guys were anything **but** normal.

The ox tilted it's back with a bellow and tipped the T.V. box slowly on to the ground. Then, it changed back into a joking green changeling.

"Whew! Finally!" Beast Boy groaned.

"Ah, it wasn't THAT bad." Cyborg said shrugging.

"Yeah well, at least we're done now." B.B said, relieved.

"Not quite… we still gotta get this placed fixed up."

That said, Cyborg started to take the TV out of the box and preceded to hook it up, while Zero pulled and shoved the bed into the far corner, being very cautious so as not to bang up the walls.

Figuring he might as well help, B.B. grabbed a blanket from the bed and preceded to begin wiping off the vanity mirror with it, making sure his reflection was spotless.

"Ooh man, who's that good lookin', mean, green, party animal?" he asked to his reflection, smiling.

"Beast Boy! Quit fooling around! We need to get this finished!" Zero said slightly annoyed.

"Alright, alright…. Don't get in such a huff!" he said, changing into a bull and pawing the ground a couple times before pressing his head to the desk and pushing it up against the wall.

Once Cyborg had the wide screen TV up and running, B.Boy had the desk straight against the wall, and Zero had the bed made properly, they took a step back to survey their work.

"Well, I gotta hand it to us… this place just went from a pile of junk… to a pile of crunk." Cyborg said, pleased with their handiwork.

"Yep… and at least now we'll be able to put this room to some good use… other than as storage for our crap." B.Boy agreed.

Zero grinned brightly. "Alright! Okay, now there's just the one thing left to do…but leave that part to me, guys…" he said motioning for them to go.

While all this was going on, Jinx sat on the couch in the living room, watching a fashion show on TV. She was only enjoying herself minimally, however, because she despised most of what she saw.

"Hmph. Well, style's certainly gone to Hell just recently." As she watched a blond model in a ridiculously frilly yellow dress strut around like an oversized peacock.

"Yeah, well, I think I know something that might cheer you up a bit." Zero said walking suddenly into the room.

She blushed. "Oh, um… I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there…" she mumbled.

Zero shook his head and grinned. "S'okay. …Hey, would you mind coming with me for a minute? Got something to show you." He said mysteriously.

"Uh…sure, why not?" she said, switching the so-called 'fashion' program off and walking towards him… until he held up a hand to stop her.

"BUT… close you eyes, first." He said firmly.

"Uhhhh… Oh-kay…" she said, becoming slightly nervous, but doing as he said nonetheless.

Immediately, he took her by the hand, and led her down the hallway.

They walked for a little while, with a beaming Sub-Zero leading her every step of the way.

"This had better be good." She sniffed sarcastically.

"Oh, don't worry… I promise it'll be worth your time _m'lady_." He retorted, also kidding.

Finally he reached the overhauled room, now complete with a large Label etched into the doorway, clearly reading 'JINX'

He opened up the door led her just inside, got out of her line of sight and spoke:

"Alright… open up your eyes on three……one…….two……" he paused for dramatic effect. "……three!" he finished.

Jinx opened up her eyes….and nearly swooned on the spot.

"Oh my god…..what….what…**_is_** this?" she gasped. Zero smirked and pointed to the door, where the enchantress saw her name printed on it.

"Wait…..this is for ME?" she yelped, almost startled by the realization.

Zero laughed and slapped his forehead. "Finally, she gets it!"

Jinx just stood looking around at her new digs, unable to speak. Finally she began to tear up. "You did this for me?"

"Eh…well, I'll be honest, I had some help… but it **_was_** my idea." He said, trying to keep as much modesty as possible, even though he was very pleased by her reaction.

"I figured that since you don't live at the H.I.V.E. anymore, and since I can't keep you cooked up in my ship forever, you ought to have a room here!" he said, explaining his intentions.

She sniffled and smiled. "You just don't realize it, do you?" she said.

"Huh? Realize what?" he asked, perplexed.

"Realize that you've done so much more than enough already." She said.

"Well, as a wise man once said, 'enough' never really is." He said "Besides, it was really nothing at all."

"….." she remained silent, but stared at the ground intently.

He was a little alarmed by her silence. "Huh? Is something the matter?"

She looked up smiling. "Z-Zero…I…I …. I don't know….er, I mean…" she stammered quietly. She looked at him sadly, as if there was something she dearly wanted to tell him, but just couldn't.

Finally, unable to get the right words out, she strode up, put her arms around him in an affectionate hug, and leaned up on tiptoes to give him a full, wet kiss on the lips, instantly causing his face to go beet red and his eyes to bug out of his head. After pulling away, she giggled and ran out of the room before the thunderstruck warrior could react.

Alright, that's it for this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it, and like always, reviews would be AWESOME!

**P.S. sorry about taking so long to update, I've had a couple school projects lately.**

The Mad Phantom 


	12. Chapter Eleven

Disclaimer: I do not have ownership or affiliation with the Teen Titans television program in any way, shape, form, or fashion… Gee, I almost sounded intelligent there for a second, huh?

_**A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Eleven**_

'_Beep! Beep! Beep!'_

The scanner monitor in Slade's lair suddenly began beeping wildly. Apparently, the scanning of the artifact has just been completed (A/N: Aw, $#… That's not good.)

The machinery proceeded to print out a full report on what had been found out. Brother Blood was waiting on it, and yanked it from the machine and read it eagerly once fully finished. The first words out of his mouth?

"**_WHAT_? What does it mean, '_Error_'?" **he bellowed, infuriated.

Slade walked up and took it from him, but he, unlike blood, was not affected.

"Hmmm…. just as I had suspected. The scientist did say that scanners had little effect on it." He said with a tone of mild interest.

"You **KNEW**? But then, why did we waste all that time?" Blood groaned.

Slade looked at him coldly. "It wasn't wasted… If you'll notice, there was one, single thing on the report that didn't error." He handed it back to Blood, who read over it again.

"Hmm…. Composition: unknown, error…. age: unknown, error… wait a minute… 'Structural details: hollow'? It's _hollow_?" Blood asked.

"Precisely. And that's all I was interested in confirming." Slade explained casually.

"Alright, so it's hollow. How does that help us?" Blood persisted anxiously.

Slade did not answer… rather, he snapped his fingers with a metallic 'click'.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a large set of metal double doors near the left side of the dimly lit chamber opened up, and a pale elderly man with a white and black tux suit and a nearly bald head strode slowly through and stood before the two villains… it was Slade's butler, Wintergreen.

"Wintergreen, would you be so kind as to summon Cinderblock?" Slade hissed.

His old valet said nothing, but bowed obediently and walked briskly back off in the same direction he had come.

A couple minutes later, Cinderblock came stomping in roaring loudly and kneeled down on one concrete knee before Slade.

Slade pointed to the artifact and made a motion with his hands as if he were cracking an egg.

Brother Blood was perplexed, but Cinderblock seemed to understand his Master's wishes perfectly.

With a deep, harsh grunt, he lumbered over to the big, ancient slab and lifted it up in both arms. He held it there for a minute… and Slade nodded as if to give a cue.

The golem let out another mighty roar and **brought the artifact down on one knee with all of his inhuman strength.**

There was the loud, grating thud of rock against rock, and the stone split roughly down the middle… but that wasn't all. From inside of the artifact came a downpour of old parchment papers tied up in rolls with ornate ropes…. _Ancient scrolls_.

"Scrolls!" Blood exclaimed, excited by the discovery. He walked up to the pile and picked up a particularly large and ornate looking one. Carefully unfolding it he held it out and looked at it…and gasped.

What Brother Blood held in his hand was a detailed map… a map of the entire world. Of course, maps of the world are pretty common nowadays, but this one had something… unusual on it.

Everyone knows that near the top of the world, around the general North Pole area, there is the Arctic Ocean… a vast expanse of water that lies, roughly, between the Northern parts of Russia, Alaska, and Greenland… on a globe, it is just a circle of nothing but water on the very tip top of the earth.

This map had the Arctic Ocean on it as well… but it wasn't labeled, nor was ANYTHING labeled… except for one little island, an island that wasn't there on normal maps. But on this one, it was there, plain as day, and clearly labeled in strange writing, 'Norblitz'. Whatever ancient cartographer had drawn this map up had also gone to the trouble of circling this Northern island in red ink, and marking it with an '**_X_**'.

Blood looked up with wide eyes, while Slade just looked up at him expectantly.

"Well, partner… I'd say we've just cracked this little riddle." He said softly and slowly with a sinister, smile spreading rapidly across his conniving face.

"Excellent… I think it is time for that 'distraction' we discussed earlier." Slade whispered evilly.

_Back At Titan's Tower_

Jinx sat in her new room, still overwhelmed at what she had done last night. About half of her was giddy at having kissed Sub-Zero, but the other was horrified about how she had done it.

Her mind was abuzz with questions. Did he like it? Was he mad at her? Was he disgusted… or, was he as excited as she was? She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts.

But she was interrupted anyway, as a knock came at the door.

"Uhm… wh-who is it?" she called uncertainly.

"It's just me, Zero." The white haired knight called back.

Her heart began beating wildly. 'Well… I guess I'm about to find out.' She gulped.

Getting up, she opened the door with a shaking hand. There stood Zero, with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Hey… haven't seen you out and about this morning." He said. "I was just making sure you were alright." He explained.

"Oh, uh… yeah, I'm alright." She said.

They just stared at each other for a moment, saying nothing.

Finally, Jinx blurted out, "Oh Zero, I… I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have done that, I mean that was totally uncalled fo—" he gently put a hand over her mouth, silencing her.

Taking his hand away, he smiled. She looked at him. She couldn't tell why he was smiling, but seeing he wasn't mad caused relief to fill her mind. He spoke after a minute.

"Er, Jinx, look… the real reason I came up here was sort of about that…" he began. He walked over to her bed and sat down, taking a deep breath as he did so.

"I… I was planning on going into town today." He said. "You know, it just struck me last night that I never actually got a chance to check the place out. But then I realized that this place is… well… _huge_." He finished simply.

She looked at him curiously. 'Where is he going with this?' she wondered.

"Soooo…. Anyway, as it is, I'd probably just end up getting lost or something. So, I figured I should probably get somebody… y'know somebody that knows their way around… to go with me… and since I really don't want to trouble Robin, and Beast Boy and Cyborg are enjoying this downtime too much to interrupt them… and since Raven probably wouldn't be interested, and I...Well, frankly, I can't really picture spending the day with Star without either being **hugged** to death, or losing some trace of sanity…"

Jinx's eyes widened and her jaw almost dropped 'Is he going to ask ME?' she wondered, and her and she suddenly felt light headed.

"I… I was wondering,…" he swallowed nervously and looked at the floor. "If you wanted to… err, if you're not busy or anything… If you would want to………" he couldn't seem to finish the sentence.

She smiled impishly. "Yes?" she said expectantly, clearly enjoying this.

"…(Gulp)… If you wanted to go with me?" he finished very quickly in a faint voice.

Jinx nearly swooned on the spot. She looked at him smiling for a second… and said nothing.

After a moment she asked what she had been wondering all along.

"So, is this… a date?" she asked hesitantly, but hopefully.

He looked back up at her and grinned earnestly. "Well…. yeah, I guess."

She nearly yelped out loud with joy and ran up to hug him again.

"So you aren't mad at me?" she whispered.

He looked down into her feline eyes with his deep, blood red ones with a questioning gaze. "Mad? Of course not! Why in the world would I be mad? That was the best…." He suddenly clapped one gloved hand over his mouth, realizing he had just said too much.

She could've cried, she was so happy.

"Oh, Zero…th-that's the n-nicest thing anybody's ever…s-said about me…" she whimpered softly.

He looked down and sighed. "Well…I wasn't going to say it but, I may as well now… that was the best kiss I've ever had…well, … technically, it's the ONLY kiss I've ever had, but it's still the best." He said jokingly.

She punched him lightly in the arm. "Oh, you…"

He rubbed his arm tenderly, but smiled genuinely nonetheless.

"So that's a yes?" he said hopefully.

"_Of course_! I'd **love** to!" she purred happily.

They smiled and looked into each other's eyes. Without warning, their faces slowly began inching toward each other, their eyes closing and lips pursing together… but the moment was shattered when the alarms went off.

Immediately, they jumped up to their feet, Sub-Zero yanking out his sword Eviglasere, and Jinx charging up her bad luck beams… but they calmed down when they realized they were under no immediate threat. A moment later, Robin opened the door with a panicked expression on his masked face.

"Guys, what are you doing! Didn't you notice we're being shot at?" he demanded.

Jinx and Zero stared… now that he actually mentioned it, they could hear muffled 'BANG's coming from outside. They had been so caught up in the moment, they hadn't even noticed.

"It's the H.I.V.E.! They're attacking!" Robin explained. "We have to go fight back!"

He ran back out the doorway, leaving the pair to stare dumbly at one another for a second, right before rushing out to help.

As they made their way out, Sub-Zero turned to Jinx.

"The H.I.V.E.? Isn't that where you—?"He started, but she interrupted.

"Yes. And if they've come to pick a fight after what they tried to do to me, then I swear I'll **_kill them_**!" she hissed wickedly, her eyes shining neon pink and her hands glowing with fluorescent bad luck energies.

Zero was a bit taken aback by this. A couple minutes ago, she had been such a beautiful, harmless creature, but now, with those glowing eyes, she looked absolutely lethal. But of course, he couldn't blame her for being so angry.

"Yeah… and I'll help you." He said slightly jokingly, trying to calm her a little. He put a hand on her shoulder, and squeezed gently.

She looked at him, and the glow of her eyes died down slowly, leaving her with an embarrassed look. She was a little ashamed of herself for losing her temper like that.

By the time they exited the Tower, the other Titans were already outside battling a literal army of H.I.V.E. soldiers dressed in insectoid-shaped yellow and black armor and armed with laser rifles. They were badly outnumbered, but still fighting.

Robin weaved in and out of their ranks dodging laser shots and taking out soldiers with flying karate kicks, birdarangs, and the occasional fistful of exploding discs. At one point, his arm was almost seared by a passing laser beam, causing his anger to get the best of him. He tossed a bola net, which tied up the unlucky soldier's gun, and with a tug, Robin yanked it out of his arms. The soldier, left unarmed, stared dumbly for a minute, right before Robin jumped down in front of him, and took him out with a punch to the face. The guy's helmet was knocked off, and he went flying with a sickening 'snap', meaning the punch probably snapped his neck. Robin turned to face the other cowering troops, made a 'come hither' motion with his hand, and with a karate yell, pounced at them again.

Meanwhile, Starfire was soaring overhead, raining down explosive starbolts from above, while gracefully swooping and swerving to avoid being pumped by heavy laser fire. But the sheer number of gunshots filling the air made this almost impossible, and before long she was hit directly in the shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain and plunge down to earth, landing with an awful thud. A large group of armed thugs gathered around her and aimed their rifles, preparing to finish the Tamaranean off once and for all… but she hovered back up suddenly and blew them away with a charged starbeam from her eyes. After recovering for a second, she took a deep breath and flew back up into the air, launching another impressive barrage of both starbolts and starbeams from hands and eyes at the same time, taking the fight to them for real.

A massive, green, scaly Tyrannosaurus Rex reared its fanged head back and roared ferociously as its thick hide was pelted by gunfire. It swung its tail in an arc and terminated a broad arc of troops with one, devastating move. Without giving the soldiers a ghost of a chance to regroup, the T. Rex abruptly changed form into a giant, green elephant. It trumpeted loudly with it's trunk, and charged, impaling a couple unfortunate gunners on it's tusks. After tossing them off with a grunt, it changed again to a tiger with stripes of two different shades of green, and pounced on a soldier and tore him up badly with razor sharp claws, and ran off changing to a muscular, green-haired gorilla. It beat it's chest angrily and lifted up a couple H.I.V.E. goons in It's grip and did an Olympic-style hammer throw, sending them flying off to God-only-knows-where.

"_**AZARATH, METRION, ZINTHOS!"**_

A flurry of boulders went flying, all glowing with a sizzling, crackling black magic, crushing about a dozen troops under the sheer weight. The ones who had missed these boulders had little chance to retreat, because a moment later, several of the soldiers themselves were lifted up by Raven's dark powers and flung like rag dolls at their stupefied comrades. During all this, a small squad of H.I.V.E. thugs had come up behind Raven while she chanted her spells, planning on shooting her from behind. But without even turning around, she calmly chanter her three magic words again… and the grunt's guns began to glow with shadowy energy, and levitated up out of their owners' hands and pointed themselves in midair at the soldiers who had held them. Raven held up one hand and snapped her fingers… and the levitating rifles mercilessly blasted their former wielders.

A platoon of H.I.V.E. soldiers screamed as a sonic ray blew them away. Afterwards, Cyborg simply brought his cannon to his lips and blew forcefully over it, producing a low-pitched whistle. He charged it up for another beam, and held it over his shoulder, carelessly blasting a group behind him. The laser beams that managed to hit him did minimal damage because of his armored, metal skin. He dodged several laser shots and took down a trio of troops with a well-placed elbow. They went flying with the loud crack of metal shattering armor and bone. He looked back and held out his cannon, preparing for the next wave…

Jinx was jumping and doing cartwheels, dodging gunfire with ease, and the entire time was flinging hexes haphazardly around the battlefield, causing random calamities to occur to the soldiers for no apparent reason. One bad luck spell lit up the ground beneath a group's feet, causing it to cave in under them suddenly. Another one hits a squads guns, causing them to abruptly explode in their hands, and yet another one hit a group that had been firing at her… and their laser beams suddenly froze in midair… and then, with an almost cartoonish effect, did a U-turn as if they had a mind of their own, ending up hitting the ones that shot them.

Another group was slowly moving in on Sub-Zero… who was standing calm and still in front of them. They aimed their guns. Zero surprised them when suddenly**_… he started dancing. _**Or at least that's what it looked like. He was lightly tapping his feet on the ground in a dance like motion, but remained in the same spot. Once they actually began shooting at him, he did a ballet twist out of the way, and dashed at them with Eviglasere pulled out. They started firing again, but he deflected their blasts with his unbreakable ice sword. Once fairly close, he froze in place, did a bowing motion, and then swept back up while swinging his sword horizontally. With that one quick, graceful motion he sliced one of the grunts cleanly in half… and before the others could do anything about it, he grabbed a nearby one and did a waltz twirl, throwing him up into the air… where he zapped him with a freeze ray that turned the lunkhead into an airborne ice sculpture that fell back down and shattered into a gaggle of tiny, frozen shards.

By this time, the H.I.V.E. flunkies must have realized they'd been beaten, because they just turned tail and ran like the little wimps they were.

By the time they were all gone, the Titans regrouped.

"We did it! We beat 'em back!" Beast Boy cheered, although noticeably exhausted.

"Yeah… those little punks'll think twice before messin' with us again." Cy agreed

Robin ran up, gasping for breath, but uninjured.

"Is everyone all right?" he asked worriedly. He hadn't been able to keep up with his teammates in the midst of the battle.

"Yeah I think so…" Zero answered, dusting himself off. But then, he gasped. "Wait a minute… where's Star?"

They looked all over, and before long, found her lying on her side several feet away… she was clutching at her shoulder, which was burnt badly and bleeding where she had been shot by that laser beam earlier.

Robin was horrified. "STAR!" he ran up and sat down beside her, gently laying her head on his lap.

She looked up at him and managed to smile weakly.

"Y-yes… I will be all right… I do not think it is serious." She moaned softly, her voice wavering slightly. But Robin was not reassured.

"Guys, we need to get back in the Tower ASAP!" he called. He carefully scooped the young alien in his arms and ran back toward the Tower, the rest following behind him.

On the way back, B.Boy noticed something… Raven was limping on one foot slightly. Running up to her he looked at her concernedly.

"Hey, Rae, you alright?" he asked.

"I'll be fine." Was the monotone answer.

"No, really… you're limping!" he insisted.

He kneeled down and saw that her ankle was badly swollen, like she had sprained it during the fight.

"Here…" he said, lowering one shoulder. "Let me help."

"What?" Raven mumbled in confusion.

"Hold on to me… you really shouldn't be walking on that ankle.. you'll just make it worse."

He knew she wouldn't do so willingly, so without waiting for an answer, he grabbed her arm and put it around his shoulders and helped support her weight as she hopped on one foot… she would've just levitated, but she was so worn out from the battle, she had little magic energy left in her.

The Titans made it back to the Tower and began recuperating as best they could… all completely unaware of events to come….

**Heh… well, that's all I got to say about that. Read and review guys, and I'd like to thank once again all of you that reviewed earlier chapters, more specifically: titan power, Chromedragozoid****, Hotshot45, ChineseLookin'Gal, TwilightSoulTaker****, and ****Dark knightress**

**(By the way… if you like this fic so far, I'd highly recommend checking out one called: Zodiac Knight Draco, by a fellow by the name of Chromedragozoid (the same one as listed above.) It's actually a bit similar to mine, though infinitely longer and also better written… ;)**

**Stay Groovy, readers.**

_**---The Mad Phantom…**_


	13. Chapter Twelve

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans… that's just the cold, hard truth.**_

**_A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Twelve_**

"So… what do you call this again?" Sub-Zero asked as he took another slurp of the sweet, white substance on a small bread cone.

"It's ice cream." Jinx answered for the third time, licking a cone of her own.

Sub-Zero and Jinx had decided to pick up where they left off after the massive battle with the H.I.V.E.

For the last hour and a half, they had been roaming around Jump City, Jinx showing the young knight around to the different stores and things. After she had spent a good thirty minutes at the mall trying on different clothes. Surprisingly, Zero didn't complain. In the past, when she had gone with Gizmo and Mammoth, they had complained the whole time. Zero, however, just stood there patiently, holding a stack of clothes in his hand for her, smiling the whole time without saying anything. And every time she came out in something new, he just commented on how lovely she was in it.

Now, however, they were at a small Ice cream parlor down town, where Jinx had introduced Zero to the wonders of modern frozen confections. Zero was fascinated.

"Y'know, that actually makes a lot of sense…. It's cold as ice, and sweet and creamy like…well, cream. Hence, ice cream." He reasoned to himself.

"Yeah, well, that's the idea." Jinx giggled. She was amazed at how naïve he was about some things, and although the fact he'd just voiced was obvious to most people, this was the first time he'd ever even seen ice cream.

All of the sudden, he opened his mouth wide and ate all that was left of his cone in one huge bite. He swallowed and let out a satisfied "Ahh."

"Wow, that really hits the spot." He sighed. "It kind of cools you off in this hot weather."

Jinx blinked. It wasn't even that hot by normal standards, but she had forgotten how sensitive he was to heat, being from a frozen land and all.

"Zero, I'm sorry…. I shouldn't have dragged you out walking around like this in our weather." She apologized, feeling very selfish about forgetting his low heat tolerance.

He shook his hand and grinned apologetically.

"Oh no, not at all… I'm alright, really. I was just starting to sweat a little, that's all." He reassured her, not wanting her to worry about him.

She looked worried still, but for a different reason.

"Zero… you probably shouldn't eat it all in one bite like that… you'll get a brain freeze!" she warned.

He stared and blinked quizzically. "A…. brain freeze?" he asked uncertainly. "What's a br—" he was cut off as his eyes went wide and he clapped a hand to his head and groaned loudly in pain.

She giggled sheepishly. "Um… _that'_s a brain freeze."

He groaned again and gripped the table. "Holy crap! How long will it last?" He managed to grunt painfully.

"Oh, it shouldn't be too much longer… but that's why you shouldn't eat ice cream so fast." She said. Then, she realized he had never really had a brain freeze before, and wasn't used to the pain. She scooted over to him, and held a pale hand to his forehead. "Just relax…" she cooed softly. "I promise it'll be over soon."

He nodded and waited… and before long, the pain began to dull, and then, disappear entirely. He whistled in relief. "Wow… THAT was extreme… no wonder they say never to have too much of a good thing, huh?" he said lightly.

She looked at him incredulously. "You can make a joke out of almost **anything**, can't you?" She chuckled.

He nodded. "I find it helps to deal with hard situations… if you never take anything _TOO_ seriously, you'll be surprised at how much smoother life seems to go." He said, in a surprisingly philosophical voice.

They were interrupted by a sudden buzzing noise coming from a pouch on Zero's belt. He reached in curiously and realized it was his Titan's communicator. He pulled it out and answered.

"**_Zero_**! Zero, can you hear me?" Robin asked loudly into the communicator.

"Mm-hm… I can hear you. What's happening?" he asked.

"Zero, listen, there's no time to explain… but you guys need to get back here quickly!" he said. Before Zero could respond, Robin hung up, leaving him to stare at the deactivated communicator.

He looked at Jinx and sighed sadly. "Well… I guess we should head back."

About an hour later, at Titan's Tower… 

Sub-Zero and Jinx walked into the main room and found the other Titans gathered around waiting for them.

"Sub-Zero, I'm glad you made it back so fast!" Robin said as they walked in.

"Robin, what's the deal? You look like you've just seen a ghost!" Zero said, startled by his demeanor.

"We've just been sent a message." Raven said softly.

Jinx looked at her and blinked. "Wait… a message? From _who_?" She asked nervously.

Robin stepped up. "Slade." He said vehemently.

Sub-Zero and Jinx followed the others back to the control room, where a large window, blinking the readout: '**MESSAGE RECEIVED**'. Cyborg pressed a few buttons, and another window came up saying, '**PREPARING PLAYBACK** _… … … …_'

A moment later, Slade's masked visage suddenly flickered into life before them.

"Hello Titans… I'm glad if you're watching this, because this little message will soon mark the coming of a new age… the age of Slade." He hissed in a wicked, satisfied voice.

"You're probably wondering where on Earth I'm going with this…" he commented as if he were talking about the weather. "The fact is, Brother Blood and I… you _have_ met dear old Blood haven't you?… are going North for a while… a little _vacation_, if you will." Slade held up a map in one hand, which looked old and yellowed as if it hadn't been used in a long time, and it looked to be written on some sort of scroll. "I…. Am going…. Here." He said, pointing at a small, red mark upon the old map. "If you care to play a little game of 'cat and mouse', feel free to pursue me… but there is really no point… I will return soon enough, I assure you… returning to KILL YOU." And then, the screen filled with static.

For a moment, everyone was silent. Then B.Boy spoke up.

"We managed to magnify the map… but there was another problem."

Cy magnified the map, and enlarged the picture of the red mark… revealing it as an island marked with an 'X'… a very unusual island.

"Huh? But wait, that's not a real island!" Jinx protested. "It's not even supposed to be on the map! … Is it?" she finished uncertainly.

"Well, you're right. It ain't on the map… but if Slade's so eager to get there, it sure must be real." Cyborg explained.

"_Oh God… oh dear God, no_……." came a horrified whisper from behind everyone. Everyone turned around in surprise, and saw Zero standing there shaking violently. His crimson eyes stared wide off into space, and his fists were unconsciously clenching and unclenching.

"H-huh? Zero…. Zero what's wrong?" Jinx asked urgently, running over to him. She looked at him fearfully with her pink, catlike eyes, but he didn't respond.

"_It…. can't…**be**_." He moaned…. His eyelids fluttered, and then he fainted on the spot, thudding loudly on the metal floor.

"_**SUB-ZERO**_!" Jinx shrieked, terrified.

The others ran up to him.

"Dude… what's wrong with him? What freaked him out so bad?" B.B. wondered.

"I do not know… but we must try to awaken him." Starfire said resolutely.

Cy gathered the unconscious knight up in one huge metal arm, and carried him off to the infirmary, with Jinx walking behind them sniffling the whole way.

Meanwhile… a dream was unfurling slowly within Zero's head.

He was walking slowly and proudly up a long, pathway inside the Royal Castle. He went confidently between crowds of cheering and clapping people…clutched firmly in his hand was a small, blue medallion with an emblem of a dragon engraved upon it. It was glowing magically, shining like a beacon in the dim light of the ice castle.

Smiling and waving, he walked steadily forward until he reached the King himself. The giant of a monarch smiled proudly down upon Sub-Zero, as the young knight knelt down respectfully in front of his highness.

"Sub-Zero… you have now passed your final test. You have returned to us safe and sound, therefore… a celebration is in Order!" The king bellowed, his long, white beard almost waving with the force of his words. The entire crowd went wild.

The King brought his hands together with a resounding '_**CLAP**_!' And everyone settled down.

"Sub-Zero…. By the royal authority vested within me… I now pronounce you …. A kni—" his sentence was cut off as the entire castle suddenly began to come down around them.

People screamed in terror, as one of the castle walls suddenly caved in, revealing a blazing fire outside. Up through the terrible flames came a huge figure… a silvery figure with a black and orange head…. **_Slade_**.

The figure grabbed Sub-Zero up in his hand and laughed demonically into his face.

"**Did you _REALLY_ think you could escape from _ME_**?" he demanded in a warbling, distorted, demonic roar.

And then, Zero woke up with a start.

**_"ARRRRRRRGHHH!"_** he screamed.

Immediately, he felt a pair of arms around him, and he heard a soft, familiar voice whisper: "_Shhhhh_… It's all right Zero. You were dreaming… nothing's going to hurt you now."

It was Jinx. She had been sitting next to his small cot in the infirmary since he had fainted.

After coming to his senses and recovering from his disorientation, he suddenly leapt up to his feet, startling poor Jinx badly.

"Zero… wh-what are you doing?" she demanded, "You should be resting!"

"I have to leave." He said urgently.

She looked at him in disbelief. "_What _did you say…?"

"I have to leave."

"B-but _why_?"

He looked down at her with an agonized expression.

"Jinx…it's Slade…he's going there."

"Going **_WHERE_**?" She persisted.

He shook his head as a look of genuine fear spread across his face.

"_Home…_" he whispered. "**Home**."

**_Uh-oh… looks like the Titans better get their rears in gear and go stop Slade… and what is this mysterious 'power' Slade and Blood are looking for in Sub-Zero's homeland? Some mighty weapon? Or some powerful magic? Or is it something…. Worse?"_**

**_Keep reading to find out, and please review if it's not too much trouble._**

**_-The Mad Phantom (who else?)_**


	14. Chapter Thirteen

_Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans._

_**A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Thirteen**_

Sub-Zero sat in the living room of Titan's Tower, groaning inwardly. He knew if he didn't hurry up and set sail, Slade and Blood were going to get to Norblitz before he was… _and that could **not** be allowed to happen_.

The other Titans were in the room with him. After a minute Robin spoke.

"Zero… if you need help with this, we'd come with you in a heartbeat." He said. "We can get the Titans East to keep up for us while we're gone."

They had already explained who the 'Titans East' were, so Zero wasn't really confused about that anymore. He looked at them sadly.

"I… I just don't know what to do. If I go by myself, I'd be keeping my oath to secrecy, but… Slade's too strong and we don't have enough Knights… If I tried to save the day by myself, I'd be slaughtered." He whispered. He didn't notice Jinx flinch at the word 'slaughtered'.

"Then let us come with you! Look, we swear we won't tell anyone… anyone at all." B.Boy insisted. Zero looked at him miserably.

"I—I wish I could, but… his highness would be royally pissed…err, no pun intended…. And I'd _STILL_ be slaughtered." He groaned. "I just don't know what to do!"

"It's your call bro… you just do what you think is right." Cy said firmly.

Zero looked around the room at his friends. Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were all looking at him resolutely, not the slightest trace of fear in their faces. Jinx was looking at Zero with sad eyes; she hadn't fully recovered from the fact that Zero was leaving… Star was also very upset by all this, but tried not to let it show. Raven… was hiding behind her hood, and couldn't be seen clearly.

Zero sighed. "Well… his highness is…. a reasonable man. I mean, surely he would agree that having a small handful of outsiders knowing about our home… is better than having our home invaded and destroyed." He reasoned. He looked at them determinedly, stood up, and knelt down on one knee.

"My friends… I… I would be honored to accept your help… if you are sure." He said solemnly and honestly.

"We're coming." Said Jinx. This surprised the others because they hadn't heard her speak much since Zero had decided to leave. She looked at him smiling, but with watery eyes, and she spoke with a shaky voice. "E-even if you h-had w-wanted to g-g-go alone… I…I wouldn't have let you… I would have gone with you…" she stammered softly, her eyes suddenly tearing up. "I would have made you take me. You wouldn't have left me a-alone. Oh Zero, I thought you were going to leave us..me…me alone." By the time she said this, tears were beginning to run slowly down from her eyes.

Sub-Zero must have forgot that everyone was watching… or maybe he just didn't care, because he grabbed Jinx and embraced her whilst he stroked her soft, pink hair soothingly. "Oh now, don't do that…" he pleaded sadly. "You know I hate to see people cry… especially with such beautiful eyes." He whispered. She sniffled and didn't respond.

Raven cleared her throat and everyone, except Jinx who was struggling not to burst into tears, looked at her.

She looked at him and nodded. "She's right. We're coming." She turned to the others. "_**Aren't** we_?" she asked the others eying them intensely, but it wasn't really a question so much as a command. They all nodded hastily, not wanting to get on Raven's bad side. Of course, they were going to agree anyway, but Raven being so insistent was another good reason to agree… the LAST thing one wants to do is get Raven angry.

"Yeah, if Slade's there, so am I!" Robin said fiercely.

"Mm-hm. We got your back Zero, don't worry." Cy assured him.

"Yes! We would never allow our dear friend's home to be attacked! We are eager to assist you in any way we can!" cheered the excitable young Tamaranean.

"Dude, there is **NO** way friends would let other friends fend for themselves with stuff like this, right? After all, you saved us from Mammoth and Gizmo, so we're just payin' you back." Reasoned Beast Boy simply.

Sub-Zero surveyed the Titans silently. Then, he broke into a smile.

"Th-thank you… thank you all so much…" he whispered, unable to express his gratitude.

Robin walked up and smiled at the young knight amiably. "Hey… that's what friends are for, right?" The Boy Wonder chuckled.

Sub-Zero grinned broadly in response and sighed. "Well…we need to get going **_now_**. So, shall we prepare to set sail?"

_About Thirty minutes later…_

"Alright! Road Trip!" Beast Boy cheered. "Or… ocean trip, I guess."

Zero had just finished prepping the **_Fryse Wyrm_** for sailing. At this point, he was quite sure of her seaworthiness, so they were going to depart shortly.

" (Sigh…) Beast Boy, could you _please_ be more serious?" Raven hissed in irritation. "For goodness sake, our friends home is about to be attacked and _you're _cracking _jokes_?"

B.B. held up his hands defensively. "Hey, I didn't mean anything by it!" he protested.

Starfire, who had been admiring the view over the side of the ship, turned back and gazed at them with concern. "I can only hope that we arrive before Slade does." She said.

Then, Zero walked out of the Captain's quarters and smiled grimly. "Don't worry about that, Star. Slade may have technology on his side, and whatever he's riding may be fast…" he said seriously. "But he doesn't have a thing on the **_Fryse Wyrm_**. I can guarantee we'll get there first."

Zero jogged to the front of the ship and began turning a large crank on the right hand side. A moment later, the anchor attached to the ship to keep it from going anywhere began slowly cranking back up into the ship. It creaked and groaned loudly as he brought it up.

Afterwards, he jogged back up to the rear deck, the elevated helm of the ship, just above the cabin, and grabbed the ship's wheel. He took it in both hands, and gave it a fast, powerful spin.

So sooner had he done so than the ship abruptly began to turn, not slowly and gradually, but a sudden, quick U-Turn. This startled everyone except Zero, and Cyborg actually lost his balance and fell flat on his metal butt.

Once the ship was turned, he hollered to Robin, who happened to be standing near one of the masts: "Hey Robin, lower the sails!"

Robin looked around in confusion, right before noticing another small crank on the mast. He took it uncertainly and began cranking it.

**_'FWOOM!'_** the sails let out a loud noise as they billowed down into place, and at the same time, cords from the same crank began lifting up the ship's flag.

"Uhm… guys, you might want to grab ahold of something…" Sub-Zero warned them.

"Hm? But why?" Star asked nervously.

_**'WOOSH!'**_

"Eeeekk!" Star shrieked as the massive ship suddenly lurched forward and then took off across the water like a shot.

"**HOLY CRAP**!" Robin yelled, holding on to the ship's deck for dear life. "HOW FAST DOES THIS THING GO?" he demanded.

"Oh, about 90 knots, give or take!" Zero yelled in response. He then noticed something unusual…Jinx was leaning over the side of the ship.

"Huh? Jinx, you alright?" he asked concerned.

She looked back up and he realized with a chuckle that her face was as green as B.Boy's.

"I'll b-be just fine." She groaned loudly.

Zero motioned to the door of the cabin. "You guys are welcome to get inside if you want… until you get your sea-legs anyway." He joked.

"Er… sea-legs?" Star asked nervously. She had no idea what he was talking about. "Are our legs going to change?"

"No, no, it's just an expression… having 'sea-legs' means being used to traveling by boat." He explained.

"Ohh, I see! Well then, shall we go inside until we develop our legs of the sea? I believe I can feel myself becoming physically ill…" she moaned softly, beginning to look sick to her stomach as well.

"Good idea." Jinx murmured. The Titans went inside of the small cabin while Sub-Zero stayed at the helm.

With his friends not around, he felt a bit less pressure to stay calm. He sighed in concern and closed his eyes as he maneuvered his ship out into the wide, blue sea.

"Hang on, my people…. I'm on my way." He whispered resignedly.

_**Later that night**_

The Titans were gathered in the ship's cabin with Zero. It was a little snug in there; it **WAS** designed for one person after all. However, it wasn't too terribly cramped, and they were still fairly comfortable.

At the moment, they were having dinner, which in this case was a basket meal the Titans had brought from the Tower before they left; they had cooked it ahead of time.

"Y'know I've always wanted to go on a cruise." Cy said thoughtfully, taking a bite of baby back ribs he had brought.

Zero looked at them curiously. "You've never traveled by ship before?"

"Well, we've traveled under water by sub, but never actually on a boat." Robin said, eating a small plate of spaghetti Cy had prepared.

Sub-Zero stared at Robin as if he'd grown an extra head. "You're kidding… UNDER the water? That's not possible, you'd drown!" he snorted.

"In a sub." Robin repeated.

"A.. sub?"

"Ah… it's kind of like a sealed-up, underwater boat. You can breathe inside it." The Boy wonder explained.

Zero looked impressed and mouthed 'wow' softly to himself.

"Um… Zero, where do you keep the water?" Jinx asked, pushing her plate of salad aside, and putting a hand to her belly. "I'm not feeling so well." She said.

"It's down below deck." Zero explained. "In the crate near the armory. It's in the brown bottles."

Jinx left the cabin, and carefully stepped down below deck. It was dark in there, except for the moonlight streaming through the portholes. It was a bit… creepy.

She shook these thoughts out of her head and began looking for the 'armory' he had mentioned.

After wandering around a bit, she found a large door. A sign on the door read 'armory'. She looked beside the door, and there was a large crate. She carefully pulled the lid off of the crate and pulled out a large brown bottle, blowing the dust off.

"Oh, good… this must be it." She said, relieved. She popped the cork off and took a long swig, gulping loudly.

"Ahh… there. That should settle my stomach." She sighed.

But there was one thing poor Jinx didn't notice… there was ANOTHER crate on the **_other_** side of the door… it read '**FRESH WATER**' in black paint on the lid.

She emptied the bottle, tossed it back in the crate, and made her way back to the ladder that lead onto the deck. Another thing she didn't notice was that the crate she had just drank a bottle from had a small board nailed to the side with the word '**RUM**' painted onto it.

"I hope that water wasn't stagnant or something… it…_tasted_ funny for some reason." She whispered softly to herself. She noticed herself getting unnaturally dizzy as she walked…

Jinx wobbled slightly as she climbed the ladder.

'Uhh…. Oh man, it must be getting worse…' she moaned mentally, as her vision began to go a bit blurry.

She walked back into the cabin after wandering around deck for a couple minutes in a distorted daze.

The first thing Zero noticed as she staggered in the door was that her cheeks were heavily flushed and she seemed to have trouble focusing her eyes.

"Wha… Jinx, are you alright?" he asked looking at her and a little unnerved by her strange behavior.

"Oh, oh, yeshh, I'm jushht f-fine…" she slurred drunkenly. Zero blinked.

"Shhero, I tink somedin's wrong wit your wader… id tasted f-f-funnee." She slurred giggling uncontrollably, the blush across her cheeks growing more and more pronounced.

"Uh…dude…what's wrong with _her_?" B.B. asked, a little freaked out.

"Uhhh… Shero, iz id hot in here ta you? I tink iss a liddle stuffee…" she giggled off-key, right before passing out onto the floor, drunk as an Irish barmaid.

At this point, Robin and Cyborg burst out laughing.

"What is **wrong** with her? It's like she's a drunk!" Robin laughed.

Zero carefully picked up Jinx, and placed her in his bed for the second time since they'd met, tucking her in gently.

He opened her mouth gently, and leaned down to take a whiff of her breath, which smelled strongly of alcohol.

"Oh no…" he groaned, realizing her mistake. He turned to the others.

"What is wrong with friend Jinx? Please, is she ill?" Star asked, a little afraid for her friend.

Zero grinned sheepishly. "Well, not exactly… you see, I think Robin was right… I think she…" he stifled a laugh. "I think she accidentally got into the rum!"

At this point, Robin, Cy, and B.B. burst into uncontrollable laughter, while Star looked confused, and Raven just sighed disgustedly.

"Please… is rum some sort of poison?" Star asked in concern. If so, she wondered then why was it so amusing to the others.

"No, Star… rum is a drink… an _alcoholic _drink." Raven said, the others were still laughing. Star blushed heavily.

"Oh! I… I see." She said, finally getting what was wrong with Jinx.

"Well, I better go below deck and find out how much she drank… hopefully not much, that's some seriously strong stuff I got down there." He said. "By the way, if you guys would come with me, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping… er, they're not exactly suites, but they're pretty comfy." He said.

"Sure, we'll go… I'm pretty beat anyway." Robin yawned. One thing he'd learned is that travel by ship definitely had the capacity to wear you out, if you weren't used to it.

He showed them below deck, where he led them to a small corridor where there were several rooms, presumably designed to house the crew. But since Zero had no crew, just himself, he could use them as 'guest rooms'. Each one was pretty much alike: a small bed with a porthole window and a table, and a lantern hanging from the ceiling on a chain as a light fixture. Cyborg, who didn't really 'sleep' so much as he did 'recharge' had brought his charger with him on board. Normally, he plugged it into the electrical outlet on the wall, but since Sub-Zero's ship had no electricity, he'd had the foresight to bring a portable battery with him to power it.

"G'night guys… I'm really sorry about these little crap rooms." Zero apologized. "But I usually don't have passengers…"

"Hey, it's all good." Cy reassured him.

"We don't need much, anyway." Raven said.

"Of course not, friend Zero! Your hospitality alone is more than enough." Star chirped nodding.

The Titans went into their rooms to try and get some rest.

Meanwhile, Sub-Zero went back to his quarters where a young witch was snoring softly.

He sat down on a metal chair next to the bed, and looked at her.

'She looks like an angel…' he thought in awe, unable to resist looking at her lovely, pale skin, which was illuminated by the moonlight streaming softly in through the porthole windows.

She hiccupped loudly in her sleep, giggled, and started snoring again.

'Er… a drunk angel, but still an angel.' He laughed in his mind.

Then, Zero realized something. "Wait… where am I gonna sleep?" He wondered. "She's in my bed."

He thought to himself…'Well… there**_ IS_** room for two..'

He suddenly jerked, gasped, and shook his head violently.

'_Am I **CRAZY**? That's the worst thing I've ever thought_!' he berated himself mentally.

Still, he looked at his bed, and then at the cold, hard, wooden plank floor… and he just couldn't help but notice how much more appealing the bed was…

'Especially with her in it…' he thought before he could stop himself… then he mentally punched himself again.

"Well… I'm sure she'll understand." He yawned, and he carefully slipped in bed beside her, being cautious not to wake her… although as drunk as she was, she wouldn't wake up if the ship started sinking!

What never occurred to Zero was what sort of conclusions Jinx would come to if she woke up next to him after having been drunk.

So, naturally, the entire ship was woken up the next morning by an eardrum-shattering scream…

_**Heh… looks like poor Sub-Zero's crap luck has kicked in again. Hopefully he won't have to do TOO much explaining.**_

_**Mad Phantom**_


	15. Chapter Fourteen

_Disclaimer: Just like always, don't own them._

_**A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Fourteen**_

Jinx sighed softly in her sleep and shut her eyes tight as the sun slowly rose up in the sky. She was aware of this only because she felt a bright ray of morning sunlight streaming through a nearby porthole and shining against her face.

She reached out with her hand, stretching and trying to stay asleep, despite the invasive sunlight. Suddenly, her hand brushed against something… _soft_.

Still mostly asleep, she gripped it gently and ran her fingers through it… it felt soft, smooth, and silky, and at first she thought it was the sheets, until she realized it wasn't one, solid sheet. It was in strands, almost like… hair. The sleeper purred softly, pleased by the soft, fluffy substance she had found

All of the sudden, her still-asleep brain 'clicked' and she realized, it **WAS** hair.

Jinx's eyes snapped open, and for a moment, all she saw was a blur of snowy whiteness, roughly in the shape of a person under sheets. Then, her eyes widened again with recognition.

"…Z-Zero?" she murmured in confusion.

'Wait… I'm in bed…so is he… and he's next to me… and I think I remember him saying I drank…rum… and now we're both in…bed…that means…we …..'

**_"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK!"_**

Jinx shrieked loudly and sat up in bed, yanking the sheets toward herself.

Zero awoke with a yelp, and rolled over the side of the bed, landing on the wooden floor with a painful, yet comical, 'thump!'

He sat up looking half-awake and confused. "Huh…what the…?"

"SUB-ZERO, HOW **_COULD_** YOU?", she screamed angrily

He looked at her blankly. "Could I…huh?" he yawned. But then, he spotted a glowing pink orb sailing through the air towards him.

"**_YIKES_**!" He yelped and ducked down. The hex blast sailed over his head, nearly singing his hair, and sailing out one of the porthole windows, which Zero had thankfully opened last night to let in some air.

"What in the name of… _Jinx, are you mad? **What are you doing**?_" He asked dumbfounded, and unaware why she was so outraged.

"_Me? **ME**? What about **YOU**? Oh, God, Zero, I can't believe you'd do this…_" she said, looking furious and hurt at the same time.

He looked at her blank faced, and then broke into a nervous grin.

"Oh, this is about the whole **'rum'** thing, isn't it? Jinx, you're right that was my fault… I should've gone down there with you and…."

"RUM? YOU THINK I'M MAD ABOUT THE **_RUM_**?" She demanded, almost hysterical.

"Uhhhh…..yes?" he said in a small, hesitant voice.

She screamed angrily and hurled another hex bolt, which this time hit him dead on and sent him reeling toward the bookshelf; he landed against it with a crash, and several books and papers fell out onto his head. He groaned softly and put a hand to his forehead as Jinx advanced on him with glowing eyes.

"_Zero, I… I just can't b-believe you…you…took a-a-advantage of m-me like that…._" She whimpered, her voice choked with suppressed sobs.

"…Advantage? … Jinx I… I had no idea you'd be so mad at me… I would've just slept on the floor…" he mumbled, sounding thoroughly hurt.

"Floor?" she asked, and her eyes stopped glowing. She looked down at herself, and she realized something for the first time since she awoke… she was still fully clothed. And come to think of it, so was Sub-Zero… and she realized with a mental jolt that she had been horribly mistaken.

"Z-Z-Zero… we didn't …. We didn't do …you know what….?" She asked, looking ashamed of herself.

"Didn't do _what_?" he asked baffled. "I just needed somewhere to sleep… I'm sorry if I upset you…"

She was horrified. She stumbled over to Sub-Zero and fell to her knees, her hand over her mouth.

"Oh my God…Zero, I… I'm so sorry… I hurt you! Are you all right? Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry…" she kept moaning over and over again.

He stared at her. "Madame…. You have now officially lost me. First, you wanted to kill me, and now you're concerned about me?"

Apparently, the poor lunkhead STILL had no idea why she had attacked him in the first place.

"Zero! Jinx! Are you all right?" Robin shouted as he busted open the cabin door. "I heard screaming!"

Jinx busted in to full blown crying at this point, and Zero just sighed. "I'm fine… but something is wrong with Jinx… I think she's still a touch drunk…."

**TWENTY MINUTES LATER**

"Now wait just a minute… you thought we did **_WHAT_**?" Zero gasped, aghast by the revelation that was just now hitting him. Zero, Jinx, and Robin were sitting in the Cabin, and a sniffling Jinx had just now explained how she'd had things misconstrued.

"Sub-Zero, please… please forgive me, I …. I jumped the gun, I should have known better." She moaned, still hating herself. "I could have hurt you!"

"Look, I'm not mad, It's was just such a shock…" he said, stunned by what she had thought.

Robin looked at them and chuckled. "Well, there doesn't seem to have been any harm done, so… I guess it didn't turn out THAT badly." He said, trying to lighten the situation a little.

Zero smiled, despite the small bruise on his face where a large novel had smacked him in the face when she zapped him into the bookshelf.

"Rob's right… It was partially my fault anyway, so…" he held out a hand to the young witch. "No hard feelings?"

She reached out with a trembling hand and took his.

"I just feel so… **so** … _stupid_." She whispered.

"Yeah, well, in your position, I'd have kicked my snowy ass too, so don't worry about it!" Zero joked. "Cheer up, will ya? I promise, I'm not mad… and I hope you're not mad at me, anymore."

"Of course not!" she blurted out at once.

He grinned and slapped her lightly on the back. "Well then, what's the problem? Nothing! Now, if you guys could excuse me… I think I ought to go out and steer… "

Before they could respond, he got up, walked outside and closed the door behind him, leaving Robin and Jinx sitting alone in there.

Robin looked at Jinx and laughed. She looked at him, confused.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Heh…you." He answered. "Who else would think a **_KNIGHT_** would deliberately get a girl drunk, just to get her in bed…. Kind of contradictive to the whole 'chivalry' thing, isn't it?"

She looked down at the floor. "I feel awful… ever since Zero saved me, I… I've been nothing but trouble to him…and he's still so nice to me… no one besides Mammoth and Gizmo have ever been this good to me before. And even Gizmo and Mammoth never made me feel…" she broke off and blushed.

Robin got up and started to go outside, where Sub-Zero was. But before he left, he nodded and said:

"Yeah, well… Zero's just a good guy, that's all… he's polite, forgiving, friendly, a gentlemen… heh, I guess you could say he's like the perfect knight."

And then, he walked out the door leaving the sorceress by herself.

After reflecting upon her morning for a moment, Jinx stood up and followed him out.

Zero was up at the helm, ship's wheel in both hands steering. Even though there was nothing around them but a vast expanse of water that looked completely identical from every angle… Sub-Zero seemed to know exactly where he was going.

She sighed as she watched him steer. His hair flowed slightly in the wind, and his cape billowed out elegantly behind him… he looked so _handsome_ and _important_, standing there like that… exactly like a knight should.

After hesitating for a minute, she walked up the stairs on the side of the cabin up to the helm, and went up to Zero.

"Hey… you know where we're going, right?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, I know…" he assured her, smiling knowingly. "Hey… could you do me a favor?" he asked her.

"Sure." She replied quickly… after the whole fiasco this morning, it was the least she could do.

"Go in my room and look in the bottom-right drawer of my desk… you'll see a compass… could you bring it to me, please?" Zero requested.

"Of course!" she said brightly.

She walked back into the cabin and searched out his large, metal desk. She opened the lower right drawer, as he had instructed, and sure enough there was an old-fashioned, brass compass there. She picked it up, and was about to bring it straight to Sub-Zero, but then she noticed something else that caught her eye…

Right under where the compass had been… was a small amulet…it was made a pure sapphire, with an emerald lining around the edges. On the blue, sapphire center was carved the picture of a wicked looking dragon. Jinx, who was fond of jewelry of all kinds, was immediately enchanted.

"Oooh… beautiful…" she whispered, her cat eyes going wide in awe.

Then, she remembered what she was doing, and cast the amulet one last wistful glance before leaving and taking the compass back to Zero.

When she got to him, he immediately took it and smiled widely as he observed it.

"Ahh, good! We're right on course." He said, pleased with his navigational skills.

"Sub-Zero… what was that amulet?" she asked, unable to contain her curiosity for long.

"…Amulet?" he asked, not sure of what she meant.

"It was blue, sapphire jewel looking… and the edge was made of sapphire and a dragon was on it, with a silver chain attached." She elaborated.

He immediately looked surprised. "Oh, so you found **that**, eh?" he asked with a chuckle.

She nodded and he explained:

"That amulet… is a very important artifact from my homeland… it's called, the Talisman Of The Ice Dragon. Without it, my entire purpose would be forfeit." He said solemnly.

"God…. And I thought it was just a piece of jewelry." She said, looking surprised.

"That 'jewelry' is the key to my mission… the only way I'll know when I'm ready to attain knighthood. It'll start to glow… or so I'm told, anyway. I'll present it as proof to my Liege, and I'll be a knight at last."

Jinx looked at him strangely. And finally, she found the words to voice what she was thinking.

"Zero… when it glows… when you can be a knight… will you go back home? To your island, and live there?" she asked softly. There was a trace of sadness in her voice, and he noticed this.

He shifted uncomfortably and spoke hesitantly after a second, "Well… I… I s-suppose so."

She looked at him for a moment with an unreadable expression… and then walked back off without another word.

He watched her go, and kicked himself mentally.

"Alas… how am I ever going to let go of her? I'm…becoming so attached…I mean, I… I **_love_** her… but…. I can't stay in Jump City forever…" He groaned woefully.

Then, he took a deep breath and decided to focus upon the task at hand…

'_I have to get home…_'


	16. Chapter Fifteen

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans._

_**A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Fifteen**_

After clearing up the misunderstanding the other day, Jinx had been more than happy to share the bed with Sub-Zero… It WAS his bed after all, and he didn't have any more beds below deck; the Titans were using them all… At first, he had been reluctant to invade her space, but she insisted on it.

"I can't just _steal _it from you." She'd insisted, "Besides, I won't flip out again, I promise." She giggled jokingly.

It had been a couple days since then, and this particular morning, Sub-Zero awoke to a welcome sight: Snow.

He got up carefully, not wanting to wake up Jinx (who generally liked to sleep late anyway), and looked out the porthole to see clouds of small, white snowflakes falling down. (A/N: I'm not sure if it's actually possible for it to snow out on the ocean, but this is fiction anyway, so I guess it's no big deal.- )

He had to contain the urge to shout for joy.

Seeing snow out on the sea like this was clearly a sign that they were getting very close. In fact, every other time he had seen snow while traveling back and forth, seeing snowflakes usually meant you'd arrive at Norblitz the same day, provided you kept a steady speed.

'Just wait Slade… by the time you catch up with us, we'll be waiting… just you, me, the Titans, and a posse of Ice Knights…' he thought venomously.

In truth though, he was nervous. Most of these 'tough guy' thoughts he was having were just an attempt to make himself less nervous, and make himself believe everything was under control.

He sighed heavily and turned his attention back to the peaceful snow outside… it seemed to soothe him for some reason, but at the same time, it made him think of home… which made him uneasy again.

He was interrupted from his reverie by a pair of hands clamping around his head.

**_"WHOA!"_**

"Guess who?..(_giggle_)"

"Uhh… Jinx? I hope?"

"Come off it. You knew it was me."

Jinx let go of him and smirked as he turned to face her.

"Well, you did startle me a little." He admitted shyly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to, I just—hey… it that snow?" she asked mid sentence as she looked out the window.

He grinned and nodded. "Yep… we're getting close."

"To your home?" she asked looking surprised.

"Yeah… if all goes well, we'll arrive today."

She blinked and smiled widely at him. "Oh, Zero, that's great! I can't wait to see it." The witch chirped.

He chuckled nervously. "Well… I'm glad to hear it, but… I … I just want to apologize in advance… I'm not sure how welcoming my people will be. I think I can reason with them, though." He sounded thoroughly nervous.

Jinx put her arms around his chest and hugged him, saying reassuringly: "Zero, I don't care if they come after us with torches and pitchforks, I'm glad we came with you."

He smiled and blushed. "Jinx, …I… thanks." He stuttered embarrassed and touched at the same time. It was… nice, having her hug him like this, and he almost groaned in disappointment when she let go.

After a moment, he perked up a little and had an idea.

"Hey, Jinx…"

"Hm?"

"Want to go watch the snow?" he asked hopefully.

"…Sure, why not?" she said with a shrug.

Zero walked over and opened the cabin door, but he didn't walk out immediately… he stopped and held it open for her.

"Ladies first." He said with a cordial bow.

She looked at him for a moment and blushed heavily, then hurried out the door before he noticed. Sub-Zero strode out after her and walked with her over to the side of the deck, looking over the wooden railing at the peacefully falling snow.

Jinx laughed merrily as a snowflake landed right on the tip of her nose, causing a tickling sensation to spread across her face… It was like music to Zero's ears…

They stood there watching silently for another couple minutes… until Jinx shivered violently. Zero noticed and looked over at her, concern in his expression.

"Jinx, are you okay? You're shaking!" he said softly.

"Me? I… It's just a little chilly that's all…" she insisted, trying to ease his mind.

She gasped in surprise as he abruptly embraced her gently with both arms, and wrapped his large, thick, soft cape around her like a blanket.

"Any better?" he asked softly.

Jinx couldn't speak for a minute, but her face told it all: her pink, feline eyes went wide as coffee saucers and her face turned apple-red. Finally, she smiled and nuzzled her head against his torso armor, giggling giddily.

"Yes… mmm… you're warm." She purred.

As they were embraced, she gazed intently at his chest plate and his shoulder pads, both made of a deep blue, crystalline material she couldn't identify. There was an awkward silence, so she decided to make conversation.

"Zero… what's your armor made of?" she asked curiously.

"_**Puissancevanskeliginite**_." He said coarsely, sounding as though he was clearing his throat and hawking a loogy at the same time while he said it… obviously, he's talkin' in '_Norblitzian_' again.

She stared at him like he'd just pulled a polar bear out o his cape.

"U-uh… whaaaa….?"

He burst out laughing.

"Sorry! I should explain: It's in my native language… means 'metal stone of power'. We just call it that because it looks like a precious stone, y'know a jewel, but it's as powerful as any metal… makes for excellent shields and armor, though everlasting ice is better. We have mines for the stuff in the caves on the island."

She stared incredulously. "And that was all **_one word_**?" she asked sounding amazed.

"Err…well, yeah, it was… why?" he asked. She just shook her head, still looking like she'd just seen someone perform a miracle.

"You know, I never realized English wasn't your first language." She giggled. "You don't have an accent, or anything."

He chuckled darkly. "No, but I used to… back when I was first learning. I always made my _'W'_ sound like a _'V'_ …and I had a Hell of a time keeping _'kitchen'_ and _'chicken'_ straight… and I could never understand the difference between words like: _'read'_ and_ 'reed'_, or _'knead'_ and _'need'_.", He lamented jestingly.

She laughed again, and Zero was once again reminded of how beautiful her laughter was. It must've been infectious, because a moment later, he started laughing also.

After they settle down, she cuddled a little closer to him and gazed at his chest armor once again. The early morning light glinted off of it's crystal looking surface and made it glow, almost ethereally.

"Mmmm, it's beautiful…" she purred looking at it with dreamy eyes.

"Not as beautiful as some things…" he whispered, taking her chin and tilting his head up very gently so he could look into her eyes, neon pink, catlike, and luminous in the morning atmosphere with his eyes, like small pools of crimson blood in pools of blank whiteness.

Suddenly, their faces began inching slowly toward each other… both their lips puckering up into 'kissing position'….

"Well, you two are up early."

For the second time that morning Zero was nearly sent into cardiac arrest, while Jinx made a small noise almost like a small, sick kitten.

They simultaneously whipped their heads around with shocked expressions to find that Raven had just woken up and come back above deck for a little bit of fresh air.

"R-Raven! H-how long were you….uh, nevermind." Sighed the knight "Good morning."

"Yeah… the others are awake, too. I just thought I'd see what you were up to."

"Oh, er, we…were..just…..watching the snow." He stammered softly, with an unnaturally wide grin plastered across his face.

"Right…well, I think I'm going to go back below deck and have some tea…" she said.

"Oh, All right! We'll be down with you guys in a second." He replied, trying to regain some of his former calmness.

After Raven had gown back down, he sighed heavily to himself and thought, 'DAMN! How does she DO that?', remembering she had done the same thing when Zero had introduced Jinx to the Titans. 'Bah! Oh, well…'

He looked down at Jinx, who was staring at the deck blushing VERY heavily.

"Well… shall we?" he asked, and pointing toward the Trap door with the ladder leading below deck.

She nodded silently and took his arm, and they went down together.

**_SEVERAL HOURS LATER …_**

The Titans were sitting in a large kitchen room below deck, which Sub-Zero referred to as the 'Galley'. They had soon realized that the ship was _huge_ below deck. There were the guest rooms they stayed in, the Galley, the Armory (filled with crates of cannonballs, cannons, swords, axes, spears, bows, arrows, clubs, whips, boomerangs, and God knows what else…), the cargo hold, the Gunwales (corridors on the sides of the ship where the cannons were), and also a large room filled with dummies and wooden targets in which Sub-Zero practiced his swashbuckling skills.

The Galley had several rows of cabinets filled with bottles of water and rum, and also an assortment of mugs and cups, and several crates with loaves of bread or pork that had been heavily salted so it would stay fresh.

The Titans were on a long, squishy, leather sofa that stretched around the sides of the compartment, and several lamps hung from chains and ropes from the ceilings and torches on the walls, providing plenty of light and giving the room a warm, welcoming mood.

A big, window was on the sidewall, giving a nice view of the sea, and a metal table for eating on was near the center of the large room, bolted to the floor.

Beast Boy looked around at the surroundings and whistled impressed.

"Wow, these are some nice digs! 'Specially for a ship." He said.

Zero grinned and nodded. "Thanks."

They had just finished dinner, and Zero had gotten up and decided to have a little walk outside.

"Guys, I'll be right back, I'm gonna go above deck for a second…" he'd said.

"All right." Cy nodded.

So, he went up above deck and sighed heavily. It had not yet stopped snowing, but he had seen no trace of home.

He walked over to the side of the ship and leaned lazily against the railing… and that's when he noticed it: The ship was moving slower, because it was having to make it's way through frozen water.

'My God… the water's frozen, that means…!'

He literally yelled out loud and jumped up and down, happier than he'd been in several days.

After calming himself, he ran over to the main mast and climbed up some of the ship's rigging, making his way to the crow's nest. Once there, he squinted his eyes and looked out into the horizon.

_There it was._

Out in the distance loomed a massive, dark shape; it jutted out of the water like some huge, unearthly artillery piece. It was too tall and steep to be a reef, but too wide and massive to be a mountain or iceberg…

_It was an island._

**_Alright! We're finally here! Before Slade! Now, things are REALLY gonna heat up… looks like it's gonna be a hot time in the cold kingdom tonight! But will Sub-Zero's charm and diplomacy be enough to convince his people to trust outside help? And when all is said and done, what will become of Zero and Jinx when Zero has to stay on the island? We'll have to wait and see…_**

**_The Mad Phantom_**


	17. Chapter Sixteen

_Disclaimer: I couldn't afford to buy the Teen Titans even if they were on sale and I had a coupon… so I still don't own 'em._

_**A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Sixteen**_

_They have arrived!_

Sub-Zero had grinned with satisfaction as he finished dropping anchor on the near the Norblitzian shoreline… there was no sign of Slade whatsoever; he felt fairly certain they had gotten here first.

He had gotten the Titans some spare white, fur robes from the Cargo Hold… he was taller than any of them, except Cyborg (Who had insisted he didn't need one anyway: "Hey, I'm ¾ metal, I can't really feel the cold."), so the robes were a bit long and baggy, but thick enough to provide them some shelter from this place's chilling elements. The only exception was poor Beast Boy, who was so much shorter than Zero that Zero had to slice off the bottom portion of the robe with his sword so it wouldn't drag the ground!

He turned to them and sighed resolutely.

"Well… are we ready?" he said, making sure they were ready to go.

Robin shrugged. "As ready as we'll ever be."

Zero nodded and turned back to the side of the ship facing the shore. He raised his arms and began to materialize a spray of frost from his hands that hardened into a bridge of ice sloping downward to the shore. Once he was done, he stepped out onto his makeshift bridge and walked down to solid ground.

Robin was the next to walk down, going slowly so as not to slip on the ice and slide down… Star floated down after him.

Raven didn't really seem to trust the stability of Zero's ice platform, because she levitated down.

Cyborg and B.Boy were next… but as Cy stepped out, he slipped and fell flat on his face…B.B. tripped over him and landed on his back… and they slid all the way down, with B.B. riding Cy like a sled, both of them hollering wildly. Once they hit ground, Zero stared at them with concern.

"Whoa… are you guys all right?" he asked quickly.

Cy lifted his head and spat ice shavings out of his mouth.

"Y-yeah… we're all right…." The big man sighed.

"Heh…we'd be better if a certain robot wasn't so clumsy!" B.B. teased.

"Okay, now listen here greeny…"

Starfire broke in quickly.

"Friends, Friends, please! Do not fight!" she pleaded, sniffling and giving them a pair of lime-green, sad puppy eyes.

They both looked at her guiltily.

"Sorry Star…" they mumbled simultaneously under their breath, sounding ashamed of them selves.

"Guys, we need to get going now… I don't like being outside of the city walls at night, here…" Sub-Zero interrupted. "There are wild animals about…"

Beast Boy snorted derisively. "Pshht! Wild animals? We're superheroes, and you think we're scared of animals?"

Sub-Zero gave him an odd look for a moment and then shook his head without saying anything.

"Wait… one, two, three, four, five, six…" Zero counted under his breath. "We're missing somebody… where's Jinx?"

"I… I don't think she came down." Robin said slowly.

Zero looked up and saw Jinx still on the ship, about get on the ice bridge, but hesitating as though nervous.

"Wait here…" Zero told them, and he jogged up the platform back up. He reached the top and looked at Jinx curiously. She was eying the platform warily, not quite trusting it enough to walk on it… it had to stretch all the way up to the deck of the ship, and it was very tall and steep… and very slippery, being made of ice and all.

"What's the matter? You coming?" he asked.

"Y-yes…but…. I mean, Are you sure this thing won't… break?" she stuttered nervously.

He held up his right hand up, put his left and to his heart and smirked.

"Cross my heart, and hope to die! Here…" he held an inviting hand out to her. "… Trust me."

She gulped and took his hand shakily, and he led her slowly down the steep icy slope, ready to catch her in case she slipped like Cyborg… he, having walked on snow and ice for most of his life, didn't worry about slipping.

Once they were at the bottom, he let go of her hand and chuckled.

"Well now, THAT wasn't so bad was it?" he joked, and she looked a little relieved. "Now… let's get going."

They set off into a small path through a forest of gnarled, leafless trees… the path wound around crazily as they walked, and it felt like they were going in circles… but Sub-Zero just strode on confidently, so they assumed he knew were he was going. The eerie, dead-looking trees surrounded them on all angles, while snow continued to fall silently all around them… and it was so late, there was no light whatsoever…so, Starfire held out her hand with a ball of green star energy to help illuminate things. This actually made things a bit eerier though, because a dim, green light against a barren, snowy, woods setting did not make for a very reassuring picture.

"Oh man… this place gives me the _creeps_…" B.Boy gulped.

"Y-yes… it is rather…unnerving out here." Star agreed.

"It's fine… we'll be at the city in about…oh, say…thirty minutes I suppose…but we're not going in the front way." He explained.

Robin looked at him strangely. "Not going in the front way… ? What d'you mean?"

"Well… I think we should see thing King first… once I convince him you guys are okay, everyone else will listen to him… so we're kind of going to skip the city and sneak straight into the castle." He said nonchalantly.

"What? '_Sneak in_?' How?" Jinx asked, surprised.

"Oh, you'll see…" he teased them cryptically.

They walked on for several more minutes… and finally, they came to a small clearing, the small group stopping dead in their tracks with a collective gasp.

Out in front of them, was a massive wall… a wall of solid ice. It was fairly transparent, so you could see behind it.

What they saw, was a _city_… small, stone and mortar cabins with wooden roofs, some big some small, but all with smoking chimneys… they saw shapes, distorted by the ice, walking around behind it… all with white hair and dressed in white and blue robes and hoods.

The city spread out and continued up the slope of a huge mountain, gigantic icy walls surrounding it all the way around… off in the distance up at the pinnacle of the mountain, at the top edge of the huge city was a castle made of ice, which rose up like a huge, silent guardian.

Reflections from the ice wall caused the entire place to come alight with a mystic bluish glow…

Sub-Zero turned to face his stunned comrades with a smile, and puffed out his chest impressively.

"Monsieurs and Mademoiselles, … I give you… _my home_."

After a moment, Starfire was the first to speak, sounding awed by the amazing sight.

"Oh, **X'hal**…. It is _beautiful_…" she cooed, her eyes big as green lilypads.

He laughed. "Hahahah! Thanks, but it's like I said… we're not actually going in there just yet…" he said craftily.

Sub-Zero walked calmly over to a large, boulder on top of a stump on the edge of the woods they had just made their way out of. With a grunt, he pushed the massive boulder off of the stump, knelt down and began feeling around the edges of the stump as if looking for something…

"**_AHA_**!" he shouted suddenly, startling them a bit. "_**Eureka**! I've got it_!" He did… something…with his hands, they couldn't see in the dark… and the top off the stump suddenly swung upwards as if on a hinge…

Sub-Zero chuckled darkly. "Heheheh… one secret passage, comin' up."

The Titans walked up and looked down at the stump… and it was completely hollowed out, with a rickety old rope ladder leading down like a tunnel for God-knows-how deep…

He looked up and smirked knowingly. "Going down?"

He swung over the edge of the big stump and started climbing down the ladder, down into the dark… after a moment's hesitation, they followed him down… and after much climbing, they wound up in a spacious tunnel made out of a combination of natural ice, along with mortar and gray stone… many, lit torches lined the walls, dimly lighting it up.

Sub-Zero walked down the tunnel, and they followed him… as they went on for what seemed like an hour, they noticed the underground path becoming steeper and steeper as they went… like they were climbing a mountain slope…

"…(Sigh)… how much longer is it?" Raven said eventually, her legs starting to get tired.

Zero turned, stopped, and looked at her. "Hm? Not much longer… do you need to stop and rest? We can…"

"No. I'll be fine… let's keep going." She muttered softly and kept on going.

Finally, they arrived at a series of large stone steps. At the top was a large, barred grating like you would see on an air vent. He climbed the big steps and carefully gave the grating a tug, pulling the bars off and leaving an exposed, empty passage. He climbed got on hands and knees and climbed through, the Titans following him… Cyborg almost got stuck though, and had to REALLY suck in…

"**Grrr**! Remind me to go on a diet when we get back home…" Cy panted, struggling to crawl through the narrow passage.

Beast Boy, with his short, slender frame, was making his way through with absolute ease. "_See_? If you ate more vegetables, you'd be thin enough to actually get through here!" he said, blowing him a loud raspberry.

"**_WHAT_**! _Listen runt, if you don't shut your veggie muchin' cakehole, I swear I'm only two ticks away from kicking your_…"

"_Shhhhh_! We're in the castle now… the walls aren't sound proof… we need to stay stealthy." Zero hissed.

Raven turned to Robin and whispered in his ear: "Since when is _stealth_ a job skill for a _knight_? And why does he know about a secret passage going into the castle? Sounds like a criminal's abilities to me…" she said in slight confusion and curiosity.

(A/N: For those of you taking notes…Yeah, right… that question will be important later on, when we discover more about Zero's past…)

After crawling for another couple minutes… they came to another large, dark, chamber… where they could actually stand up.

There was a grating in the floor… and when they looked down, they realized they were inside of the ceiling… the grating showed down into the throne room.

"Dude! Look at THAT guy!" B.Boy whispered, pointing to a huge, bearded figure with a crown and robes, sitting on a throne of solid ice… he seemed to be scribbling on a large roll of parchment with a feathery quill pen.

"Yep… that'd be the king." Explained Zero… "And he's alone! Good, I need to talk with him in private about you guys anyway."

He turned to them…"Alright… you guys stay here… and don't make any loud noises or sudden movements…"

Stealthily, Zero opened up the grating on the floor… or ceiling, depending on how you looked at it… and jumped down, landing with a thunk on the floor, on both feet in a kneeling position.

Slightly startled, the king looked up from his parchment… and a moment later, cried out in astonishment.

"Thor's ghost... SUB-ZERO! It's you!" he shouted, amazed to see the young knight back so soon. "Why've you come back m'boy?" he asked softly. His old, wrinkled face suddenly lit up. "Why, have you ALREADY passed your final test? Do you have the Talisman?"

Sub-Zero remained in a kneeling position, and sighed softly in disappointment.

"I wish sire, I wish. In truth, I have come to warn you…"

"Warn me? Of what?" the huge monarch inquired, perplexed.

Sub-Zero chuckled nervously.

"Well my liege… I should start at the beginning. When I departed our land to set out upon my quest… I sailed for several days… and, finding nothing, I prayed to God for a sign…and then, as if out of nowhere, a miracle appeared to me above the horizon… A giant **_'T'_**."

"A 'T'? Like the letter, you mean?"

"Yes, M'lord, like the letter… I immediately sailed there, and found it was a huge building. And living there, was a group of powerful outsiders, calling themselves the 'Titans.'"

"Titans? Indeed? This is a wild tale you're telling me, boy." The king huffed.

"I know, sir, but there's more… they guarded a city nearby…Jump City, they call it… sort of like the city guards, except there was only five of them, all extremely powerful warriors."

"And they are coming to attack us? That is why you've come to warn us?"

"_**NO**_!" Zero shouted suddenly, startling the king. "Er…I mean, No sir… I befriended them."

"Sub-Zero, are you sure that was wise? Outsiders are treacherous…"

"Oh, no, no, my lord, they were some of the most trustworthy people I've ever met… and they saved my life, to boot."

"Saved your life? And they aren't attacking us? Then why have you come back to warn us?" the King asked, exasperated and impatient.

"Patience please, My liege, I'm getting there… anyway, the Titans greatest foe was a powerful man named Slade… A wicked man, I assure you sire! And it is **HE** that is coming."

The king gazed at Sub-Zero for a minute… and then spoke in his deep, echoing voice.

"You have done well, Sub-Zero… we shall prepare for the fool's arrival immediately."

"Err…Sire? I don't think we'll be able to fend him off by ourselves… and that is why I took the liberty of…of…Y'see, sir, there's something important I must tell you about these particular outsiders…. they're…. Uhh."

He gulped nervously, unable to finish what he was saying.

"What about 'em, boy? Go ahead and say it, if it was for the good of our land, then I will not be angry about it."

At that moment, as if on cue… a crack started to form along the ceiling, above where Zero had jumped down… and a small chunk of the ceiling collapsed out under the hidden Titans' weight, bringing them down with it, screaming… and landing on the floor loudly.

For a moment, there was absolute, dead, ringing silence.

The King looked back and forth from a now cowering Sub-Zero, to the disheveled Titans groaning on the floor.

Finally, Zero looked up for the first time since leaping down and kneeling. He had an unnaturally large, fake, strained smile plastered on his face.

_"Uhh… t-th-they're…h-h-h-here……y-y-your m-m-m-majesty…."_ He stammered terrified, in a tiny, sheepish voice.

_**Ten Minutes Later**_

The Titans sat in a small room with small beds and a few paintings on the walls… it looked almost like a guest room…except with a small platoon of guards in full white body armor and ice spears guarding the entrance… and a few cowering young maids, whom Zero had insisted on staying, in case the Titans needed any food or anything, seeing as how they weren't allowed to leave the room.

Robin sighed. He wasn't sure how much longer they'd be held prisoner in here… he hoped Zero could convince his King to let them out…

Raven sat in the corner meditating silently, trying to stay calm.

Jinx was sitting on a bed, watching the cowering maids with interest… apparently, they were terrified. 'Well, can I blame them? They've probably never seen an outsider before, much less ones that look like us…' she wondered.

Beast Boy and Cyborg were also sitting on a bed, glaring in silent anger at the guards. They could probably take those chumps out with no trouble… but they were trying to make peace with these guys, not war… besides, they already felt guilty so the last thing they wanted was to get Zero into even more trouble…

Starfire was sitting next to Jinx, watching the maids on the other side of the room. She turned to Jinx and whispered: "Why are they frightened of us? We do not mean them any harm…" she said sadly… all she really wanted was to make friends with them.

Suddenly, one of the maids approached Robin.

"Er…E-excuse m-me s-s-sir…" she stuttered, looking nervous and excited at the same time. Robin looked over at her in surprise. "Hm?"

"Are you really foreigners?" she asked breathlessly.

"Uhh…yeah, we are…why?" he asked suspiciously.

"F-forgive us, sir…we've never seen a real outsider before!" she explained.

"Yeah, well… you don't have to be hiding over there like that… we don't mean you guys any harm, believe it or not." He said wryly.

The rest of the maids slowly moved forward.

"How do you know Sir Zero?" asked a different young woman.

"Well, we've met… we kind of saved him, when he first arrived."

"Saved him?" the maid asked incredulously. That hardly sounded like something an outsider would do… according to what she'd heard about them before.

"Yeah… but he saved us later on… so you could say we're even." He said calmly.

"…What is your name?" asked a third girl.

"Robin."

"Robin? That is a nice name…. What are your friends' names?"

"Well… the green, short one is Beast Boy… the big guy with metal all over him is Cyborg… the one with red hair is Starfire… next to her is Jinx…. And the moody one in the corner is Raven."

"Mmm…. Beast Boy…. Cyborg…. Starfire…. Jinx…Raven." the maid repeated. They are…odd names…but nice names though." She said.

"Um…Lord Cyborg?" one of them asked. Cy looked surprised at hearing himself addressed 'Lord'. But then he remembered, they were maids; they probably referred to everyone as either 'Lord' or 'Lady'.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you still wearing your armor?"

He sighed heavily with _DeJa Vu. _When he had gotten sucked back in time once, Sarasim had asked the same thing…so, he decided to give the same answer.

"Well, mine doesn't exactly come off." He said softly.

Another maid approached Raven, and began to ask her something… until Robin warned her not to, he knew Raven probably wasn't in the best mood right now.

Overall though, the maids no longer seemed to find them so threatening.

"Hey lady…" Robin started. The maid flinched and looked back.

"Do you have any idea how Sub-Zero knew about that passage into the castle?"

The maid blinked and nodded. "Oh, I expect 'is father showed 'im that before he died."

"His…father?"

"Oh, yes. _Dark-Shard_… worst pirate what ever plagued our fair kingdom." The young girl explained grimly. "I don't know how on Earth such a wonderful young Lord like Sir Zero came from the likes of _him_…."

At this point, all the Titans were staring at her. For the first time, Starfire spoke, startling the poor maid again. "Oh my…. his father was a **_pirate_**?" she said, shocked.

"Aye… a _terrible, ruthless_ one. Just before he died, he left Zero on the drawbridge of the castle, in a basket, with a note attached, what said: 'Take care o' me son. Signed, Dark-Shard.'"

The maid walked over to a bookshelf, got off a large, gray book and flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. She brought it over and showed it to Robin. It was a portrait of a man in fancy, militaristic clothing and a large, extravagantly feathered hat…. A pirate. He shared many facial features with Sub-Zero, but was older, probably in mid-forties. He held a pair of cutlass type swords with ice blades across his chest and smirked cockily.

"That's ol' Dark-Shard… Sir Zero's Father."

Before any of them could inquire further, they heard a noise from outside.

"Make way! Coming through!" shouted a familiar voice… it was Sub-Zero.

He bust open the door and pushed the guards roughly out of the way, making his way over to the Titans.

"Guys, come with me, please… his Highness has requested an audience with you."

As they followed Zero out of the room, the guards pushed and shoved them, and it was all Zero could do not to lose his temper and go off on the guards… he knew they didn't know any better, but still!

Finally, when one of the shoved Jinx, he lost it.

"**_Aanslag le jente, et jou skall sois halshuggalius!_**" he snarled softly and venomously to the guard in question and drew his sword, pointing it at Jinx, then at them. To his friends, it was just foreign gibberish… the guards however, understood it crystal clear and backed off.

(A/N: A quick lesson in 'Norblitzian': Aanslag le jente, et jou skall sois halshuggalius, means, 'touch the girl, and you WILL be decapitated.' Obviously, Zero was pissed. -)

Five Minutes Afterwards… 

The Titans followed Zero back to the throne room. On the way, Sub-Zero turned his head and apologized:

"Guys, I can't apologize enough for what's happened…I…I think I've convinced his highness though."

Jinx shook her head. "No, it's alright… you can't blame them for being a little afraid of us." She said.

Raven sighed to herself, and then asked. "So, the King wasn't too hard on you was he?"

Zero grinned sheepishly. "Well… let me put it this way… it could've been worse."

Starfire burst out with the question she'd been dying to ask him. "Friend Zero… why did you never tell us about you're father?"

Zero instantly froze dead in his tracks… and then turned around to face her with a look of horror.

"F-father?" he hissed in confusion. "…. How would you know about my father?"

"Uhh… the maids told us." B.B. explained softly.

'Damn those twittering maids!' Zero thought venomously.

"…I'd rather not talk about it, please..." He said simply… and continued walking off.

They followed him to the King's throne, where Zero knelt down again. The Titans stood there awkwardly for a moment, and then did as he had, kneeling down.

"Well… I hope that young Sub-Zero was not mistaken in trusting our fate to you outsiders." The king said gruffly. "He tells me you know something of the knave that's coming to attack us…well, don't just kneel there! Explain yourselves!"

The Titans looked nervously at each other for a moment before Robin got up and took a step toward the King. "His name is Slade… we've come to help you fight him."

"And why should we trust you?" said the king levelly, not angry, but not exactly pleased either.

Zero stood up with Robin.

"Because… they are our only chance of driving off Slade." Zero explained. "We are but twenty knights, and a small militia of guards and archers… if we fought him and his army of machines on our own, we would be destroyed." He finished solemnly.

"…Well… If you're going to help us… I might as well learn your names." The King said, catching everyone by surprise. They hadn't expected him to agree so quickly!

"You there! What is your name?" he asked, pointing at Robin.

"Robin." The Boy wonder replied without missing a beat.

"I see… and you?" His highness asked motioning towards Starfire.

She floated up and smiled cheerfully. "My name is Starfire!" she chirped, happy that the king wasn't so suspicious of them now.

"Robin…? Starfire…? My, such names you outsiders have…but I digress…. What of you?" he asked Raven.

"Raven." She said flatly.

"I see… and you?" he pointed to Beast Boy.

"Uh… Beast Boy, your royal dude." B.Boy said nervously.

"Royal dude…?" the king muttered, not quite sure what B.B. meant, but deciding not to dwell on it. "All right… what about you, stranger?" he asked Cy.

"Call me Cyborg." He replied.

"Cyborg…. fair enough…. That just leaves…. you." he said softly, pointing to Jinx.

She gulped nervously, and then said in a shaky voice "J-Jinx."

He looked at her strangely. "Jinx… is that not another word for a curse or a misfortune?" he asked suspiciously. "Ahh, no matter. If Sub-Zero trusts you so much… I suppose I shall, too."

The king looked at the Titans, and then at Zero… and for the first time since he had brought them in…he smiled.

"Well, that is that! As you outsiders are clearly not our enemies… I suppose it would harm nothing to have you stay with us and help us battle this…Slade. And since you are now among our friends… a celebration is in order, I think…. What say you, boy?" asked the old monarch of Sub-Zero with a wrinkled smile.

Zero smiled back. "A grand idea, your grace."

**Sweet! Looks like the Titans are officially welcome in Norblitz. And they're going to have a celebration! Well, let's just hope a certain couple of crackhead villains don't show up to spoil the fun, eh? **

_**By the way…**_

_**I'm planning on wrapping this story up within the next few chapters… and I'm contemplating doing a sequel… actually, I'd enjoy doing a sequel, but I'd like to know what you guys think.**_

_**So, read and review, folks!**_

_**The Mad Phantom…: )**_


	18. Chapter Seventeen

_Disclaimer: The Teen Titans are not my property._

**_A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Seventeen…_**

The next morning, Sub-Zero awoke with a yawn and sat groggily up. Judging by the way the sun was just beginning to peek over the snowy mountaintops, it was just now dawn.

The castle had plenty of spare bedrooms, so Zero and Jinx no longer had to share a bed… and honestly, he actually kind of missed the ship…

Shaking his head trying to clear his thoughts, he pulled on his body armor, slipped on his boots and gloves, grabbed Eviglasere, and walked out of the room.

He needed a walk desperately… he hoped it would ease his mind. Ever since Starfire had asked the question about his father… he had been thinking long and hard about it. He had all but forgotten his questionable ancestry a long time ago… but now, last night, he had been forcefully reminded of it. And it had been jarring.

As he strode along the dim, icy corridors of Castle Norblitz, he pondered how he had come to be here… he knew that, supposedly, he had been left here by his late, scoundrel of a father.

He was raised here, in this castle, and he knew the ins and outs of the place better than the king himself, from the passage He and the Titans had used to get in, and also several other little secrets he felt sure only he knew about, mainly because his father had built them in the first place. … For most of his life the guards were his playmates, the butlers and maids were fussing caregivers, the other Knights were all like brothers to him, and the good, old king has always been… something of a surrogate grandparent.

It was purely by chance that he had been selected for Knight training at a young age. At first, everyone looked down upon him because of his criminal lineage…even though he had barely been three years old. For four years, he worked as a lowly servant at the castle.

But then, when he was seven years old, everything changed.

He had been taking a walk, much like he was now, when suddenly he heard a woman's scream. He immediately ran off to find the source, and discovered a maid in a nearby room with a snarling, giant, arctic wolf… to this day, no one knows how on Earth that beast had gotten in, but it didn't matter.

Young Zero's first instinct was to run away and alert the guards… but he quickly realized by the time they returned, the girl would be dead. So, he did all he could. He grabbed a small, wood-chopping hatchet, made from the same blue metal as his armor, from a metal rack on the wall. With a yell, he ran at the creature and wildly swung it… he should've been mauled to death, but somehow he avoided the angry animal's claws with every vicious swipe… and within a minute or so, a group of guards, as well as the head knight… who's name happened to be Frost-Wound… came running at the sound of the boy's yell.

But by the time they got there, the only things in the room were a young servant with a hatchet covered from head to toe in wolf blood, the chopped to pieces remnants of a wild wolf, and a maid who had fainted, though was otherwise okay.

On that fateful day, Frost-Wound personally requested the king for permission to train the boy in the ways of the Knight. The king, who had always been kind to little Zero, despite his background, quickly agreed.

For the rest of his days, Zero trained in many things: the trade of the swordsman, the lore of his inherent ice powers, and the art of treating wounds being the most prominent.

Also though, the boy developed other 'skills' on his own.

Perhaps it was the pirate blood in him, but he had always had a knack for picking locks, sneaking around while avoiding detection, finding secret passages, and disarming booby traps. Abilities, which though not exactly knightly, served him well.

He developed these skills in addition to his Knight training, and on the day he turned sixteen, he set off to pass his final test… and the rest, as they say, is history.

Sub-Zero gasped softly as he realized where his feet had been taking him without his even realizing it: the Titans' rooms.

He doubted any of them were awake at this point; it was still very early. Last night, after their little chat with his Highness, Zero had ordered a bunch of extra blankets be brought to their rooms, for he knew they wouldn't be used to the cold here. He hoped the extra covering had helped.

All of the sudden, he heard a soft, familiar voice coming from one of the rooms…

_"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos… Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos… Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…"_

"_Huh_? **Raven**?" Zero mumbled in slight confusion… clearly it was her, but why was she up so early?

After a moment of hesitation, he walked up and opened up the large, metal door slowly.

There sat Raven, levitating in midair and chanting softly to herself while meditating.

The second he entered the room, she stopped chanting and her eyes snapped open, looking at him curiously.

Raven had a knack for telling when something was on someone's mind, and she could easily identify a sense of grief about him… as if he regretted something.

"What are you doing?" she asked dryly.

He waved his hands apologetically, "_Sorry_! Didn't mean to interrupt you, I just… didn't think anyone would be up yet."

"It's fine. It's you I'm worried about." She murmured knowingly.

He blinked blankly. "…_**Me**_?"

"Yes you… listen, I know a thing or two about people's emotions… and I can tell that something's wrong with you." She explained. "So what is it?"

He gulped. "Well, to be honest… there is one thing. Last night… what all did you find out about my father? I know the maids told you, but I mean **_what_** did they tell you, exactly?"

She looked at him with an expression of mild interest. "So that's it. That's what's bothering you. Your father." It wasn't a question.

He sighed heavily and nodded. "I had forgotten about all that… until just last night. It makes me wonder… after all, it's a little ironic, huh? A Knight, who's job it is to keep the peace and hunt down criminals and defend his home… had a murdering sea reaver for a father…" he lamented, more and more sorrow creeping into his voice as he continued.

She shook her head. "It has nothing to do with it. You could have had a priest for a father and ended up a thief… a person's family history doesn't necessarily influence their destiny." She said sagely.

He looked at her hopefully. "You really think so?"

For a rare moment, Raven actually smiled. " I _know_ so."

She got up and walked nearer to Zero, sitting down beside him. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"That's one thing we have in common, you see…" She said softly, "Just between you and me… let's just say my father wasn't exactly the ideal parent, either."

Sub-Zero looked at the telepath quizzically, but before he could ask anything the door opened again, with Jinx standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Raven. Wakey, wakey… Robin said to wake you up, they made us breakf—"

Jinx stopped mid-sentence, seeing Zero and Raven sitting on the floor together.

"Huh?…Zero?" she asked softly, a confused and shocked look in her eyes. "What are _you_ doing in here?"

"Oh, Raven and I were just having a talk… we're coming." Zero replied.

She looked at him with a strange, almost hurt expression… and then walked out with out saying anything else.

"Uhhh…. Was it something I said?" he mumbled, puzzled by her suddenly cold demeanor towards him.

Raven sighed. "No… I think she was a little upset seeing you with me."

"What? Why? We were just talking!"

"I know… but she doesn't. You should probably talk to her…"

Zero groaned softly. "Yeah, you're right… you go ahead and go with the others to breakfast; I'm going to see if I can clear this up…"

The Titans were all awake, and on their way to the banquet hall for breakfast. The servants, who had informed them that they were invited to breakfast, had just woken them up, except for Raven who was already awake.

Jinx lagged behind the rest, staring sullenly at the ground as she walked. In her head, she was torn between mixed feelilngs.

'Why was he in there with Raven so early? They were just talking… Hmph! That's what HE says. What if they…no. Zero wouldn't do that….would he? No! I'm just being Jea—'

Jinx put a hand to her forehead and was silent… what hurt the most was the realization that she really WAS jealous. Of RAVEN, of all people… but she couldn't help it.

"Jinx!" Sub-Zero hollered from behind, trying to catch up with Jinx. She turned to look at him.

"Yes?" Jinx answered, doing her best to disguise her jealousy.

"Are you alright? You seemed a little… troubled, back there." Zero asked with concern.

"What were you doing in Raven's room?" she blurted out before she could stop herself.

Zero chuckled. "I heard her meditating, so I went in to see why she was awake so early… apparently, she's an early bird…. Heh, get it? Raven! Bird!" He joked, laughing. "Aw, I kill myself…"

"**_I'm serious_**!" Jinx hissed vehemently.

He flinched and gasped, surprised and hurt by her outburst.

"So am I… really, we were just having a conversation. Jinx, I don't get it… did I say something earlier to upset you?"

She said nothing, but turned her back to him, not out spite for him, but out of shame of herself.

"Zero, I…. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that." She apologized softly; she sounded sad.

He took her by the shoulder and turned her around looking into her eyes.

"Jinx, please…. Look, I know **_something's_** wrong…. So just tell me **_what_**, and I promise I'll do whatever I can to help!" he insisted.

She didn't know what to tell him. Tell him she was jealous for no good reason?

"It's stupid…" she mumbled in shame "I… I was upset…. when I saw you with Ra…. Raven."

Sub-Zero stared at her incredulously.

"_Holycrap_…. I don't believe it. Jinx, you're **_jealous_**, aren't you?" he asked softly, squeezing her thin shoulder lightly.

She hesitated, and then nodded grudgingly. "Okay, so what if I was?" she hissed sullenly.

He surprised her when he suddenly grabbed her in a hug and embraced her tightly and affectionately.

"Wha—Zero what are you….?"

"Jinx…. Please believe me. Raven's my friend, you know that. And despite what you might think, that's **ALL** we are. Jinx, can't you see I—" the white haired youth stopped suddenly, cursing his tongue for speaking without permission.

She looked at him curiously. "You what?"

He took a deep, steadying breath to fortify his nerves… and then said exactly what he was thinking.

" Jinx… I love one person only in this world…. And that's **_you_**." He whispered holding onto her like a drowning man to a floating log.

For a moment, the sorceress stood there, too stunned to speak. Then, she started tearing up in happiness, her pink eyes going wide with sudden shock.

"Sub-Zero, are…. are you….._serious_?" she demanded, her face blushing startlingly red.

"As serious as I can be… I swear it." He insisted, and then repeated himself. "I _love_ you, Jinx…" he said, smiling widely at her look of shocked joy.

Jinx buried her face in his chest, while he stroked her back gently trying to calm her down. After a moment, she stopped sniffling, and looked up at him.

"Well, shall we catch up with the others? It's breakfast time, and I'm getting hungry…" Zero said.

She nodded silently.

_**Meanwhile, In The Arctic Ocean…**_

Under the frozen waters of the Arctic… was a huge, dark shape gliding along under the water. It looked almost like some massive shark cutting through the cold, watery shadows at high speed.

In actuality, it was a submarine. A gigantic, armed and armored submarine, with an 'S' logo on it; it was jet black on one side and burnt orange on the other.

Inside the sub was a huge bay where scores of Slade's robotic commandos stood still and silent… apparently, they are not yet activated. Patrolling the sub's corridors were armed H.I.V.E. soldiers, and there in the control room were Slade and Brother Blood.

"Well? How much farther is it?" Blood growled impatiently.

"About 9 hours… we'll get there soon enough, don't worry. Unfortunately… I have a bit of bad news." Slade replied levelly.

Blood looked at him questioningly. "… Bad news?"

Slade looked at him calculatingly. "They have already arrived."

The entire sub rocked with Blood's loud "_**WHAT**_?"

"Don't worry… we're about to send them a message." Slade hissed.

Then, Slade proceeded to walk along the bridge of the Sub to the control panel, pressing a few buttons carefully. A message pops up on the control screen saying:

'_Troop Storage Projectile: Armed … Launch sequence initiated … 3…2…1… FIRE_.'

The surface of the frozen water directly above the submarine was quickly shattered by a huge, cruise-missile-like torpedo that sailed at high speed towards our unsuspecting heroes…

_Back With The Titans…_

The grand banquet hall of Castle Norblitz was a massive, Icy chamber ornately decorated by various ice statues, rows of suits of armor, paintings of snow scenes, and large torches with strange blue flames…

The Titans sat at a special table that had been saved for them, along with Sub-Zero. In front of each one of them was a silver plate, each one with a large slab of smoking meat and a large loaf of freshly baked bread…

Robin eyed the piece of cooked meat warily.

"Eh…Hey, Zero…. What is this, exactly?" he asked hesitantly.

"Just Beef… y'know cow. Cattle." He explained.

Robin sighed in relief and dug in, while Cy and Raven did the same.

Star, being a Tamaranean and thus of healthy appetite, had already finished, so Zero clapped to signal the servants and requested another plate for her.

Beast Boy was eating a platter full of Salad that Cy and Zero had retrieved from the Titans supplies, still stashed in the cargo hold on Zero's ship.

Jinx and Zero sat next to each other, Jinx taking small bites of her loaf of bread while Zero bit into the meat hungrily.

"Mmmm… this is good…" Jinx mumbled, the fresh, hot bread delicious to her.

"Thanks… I'll tell the cooks you said so." Zero chuckled over a mouthful of cooked beef.

_**KAPOW!**_

The missile from earlier crashed through the roof of the castle without warning, causing instant chaos in the banquet hall. The crowds screamed and ran, evacuating the castle, while the guards and knights, except Zero who was too stunned to move, crowded around the missile. Jinx clung to Zero reflexively, thinking they were about to be blown up… but, The missile itself didn't explode… it just stuck in the floor and stayed there.

After a couple minutes of chaos, there was dead silence.

"**_What in the Hell was that_**?" yelled Zero, panicked. Jinx whimpered a little in fear, but didn't answer.

Suddenly, the exposed front of the missile opened up like a hatch… and revealed a platoon of Slade's robotic commandos and Brother Blood's H.I.V.E. soldiers, about three dozen each!

Zero and Robin said the same, exact thing simultaneously: "Oh, **_damn_**…."

_**Well, we're now officially under attack. Expect some major Ass-Kicking next chapter.**_

**_I appreciate all the reviewers so far: specifically Titan Power, Twilight Soul Taker, Hotshot 45, Chinese Lookin' Gal, Dark Knightress, Chromedragozoid, Dairokkan, Cre-ator14, and Rakhan._**

_**As per usual, Read and Review, please!**_

_**The Mad Phantom…**_


	19. Chapter Eighteen

_Disclaimer: The Teen Titans do NOT belong… to me._

_**A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Eighteen**_

(The whole fic so far, Sub-Zero has kept his head through thick and thin… but have you ever wondered what happens when he REALLY loses his temper?)

By the time the robot-commandos and the H.I.V.E. thugs exited the missile, the entire hall had been completely evacuated except for the Titans and Sub-Zero.

"Well… about seventy to seven… I can't say **these** are fair odds." Robin murmured calmly.

"_Yeah… almost makes you feel sorry for them, **doesn't it**?_" Zero hissed icily, his face cold and emotionless.

With a shout, the baddies charged the Titans.

Zero glared hatefully at the encroachers, and though he was struggling to stay calm… he felt almost as if there were… something else within him…something angry and bloodthirsty. Finally, he could keep his cool no longer.

"**_GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH_**!"

Loosing a berserk, animalistic scream, Zero began to… change.

Wintery gusts of wind whipped up around him, causing his hair to snap out of it's ponytail and flow wildly around him; his eyes suddenly blazed a pale, glowing, frozen blue; they looked like angry spheres of reflective ice.

**_"How DARE you defile my homeland and treat my people with such disrespect!"_**

Sub-Zero, screaming with cold fury, was the first to attack. The sight of his castle being attacked by outsider thugs seemed to have provoked him into a rage; the Titans had never seen him like this.

He drew his sword with his right hand, while using the other hand to hurl a freezing shot at his attackers. The white, glowing bolt hurtled towards the assailants and exploded into a blue nova of ice and snow, freezing several of the cronies into statues that quickly evaporated into a cloud of frost…

A Slade bot attempted a flying kick on Zero, but the knight whipped his Eviglasere around and sliced of it's legs… it fell to the ground as a malfunctioning stump with arms and a head, right before Zero sliced off it's head, finishing it off.

He grabbed a H.I.V.E. soldier and threw him into one of the large, blue-flamed torches decorating the hall to burn him alive, and when another one of Slade's commandos tried to grab him around the neck, he ducked it's arms and ran it through with his sword. With a wicked grin, Zero kicked it off his sword's blade with his boot, and then blasted it's head off with an ice ball.

At this point, Sub-Zero sheathed his blade and held out hands, his normally red eyes glowing a pale, ice blue.

"_Now… my specialty_." He snarled with grim satisfaction. "… **_WINDS OF THE NORTH_**!"

At first, there was only a slight whistle of an eerie breeze and a faint white and blue glow at Zero's hands, and the baddies ran toward Zero undaunted. But it quickly grew to a howling maelstrom of winds and snow, and Zero roared angrily and shot it at them as a huge blizzard.

They had absolutely no time at all to retreat.

As the blizzard swept over them, they were instantly turned into ice statues and blown back into one of the castle walls; they shattered loudly into a ream of little, bitty pieces.

Now, only about a dozen attackers were left. The H.I.V.E Soldiers fired with their laser guns, and the Slade Commandos charged Zero at once.

"_Now… time to carve you mechanical bastards up like a pumpkin…_" Zero growled, drawing Eviglasere and going into a fencing stance…

He hollered and leapt at them while avoiding H.I.V.E. laser fire with ease, drawing back his sword for a powerful swing… and when the first robot reached him, he preformed three quick slices with surgical precision; it's arms, legs, and head were cut off, destroying it utterly.

He dodged every punch and kick the mecha-soldiers attempted, retaliating with sword attacks and, indeed, cutting them up like pumpkins all the while dodging laser blasts from the H.I.V.E. troops.

Sub-Zero was moving to fast to be seen… all his stunned friends could see were a few robotic limbs flying through the air and ice rays shooting about…

After a couple minutes, all that was left were cowering H.I.V.E. soldiers and a pile up sliced up mechanical parts from the Slade bots.

Several laser shots actually hit Zero, but they ricocheted off of his armor without even damaging it; he wasn't harmed at all… it only served to anger and enrage the young warrior further!

He turned to the H.I.V.E. troops and sheathed his sword.

He screamed with righteous fury and ran at them, weaving in between their barrage of laser beams, and pounced upon them and started beating them down bare handed.

He grabbed one by the neck and snapped it, grabbed two more and bashed them into each other with more than enough force to break their helmets and crush their skulls.

He dodged more laser gunfire and kicked another so hard that his foot went totally through the poor fool's chest punching a hole in him. He lifted up the final remaining soldier up by one leg and hoisted him up high enough to look dead him in the face.

"_You get your damned, dirty **Asses** off my island…_" he threatened, almost demonically, with his eyes still shining a reflective, frozen blue.

With a sickening '**_rip_**', he tore the goon's brainless, helmeted head right out of the shoulders, spinal cord still attached, and hoisted it triumphantly while letting the body slide lifelessly to the ground with blood spurting out of the neck like a busted fire hydrant. After a gruesome moment of victory, he carelessly tossed it over his head like a basketball, while smiling with cruel pleasure the whole time.

Sub-Zero fell to his knees, overcome with exhaustion and diminishing anger… he panted with fatigue and propped himself up on his sword; his eyes still hadn't stopped glowing.

The Titans hesitantly poked their heads above the overturned table behind which they'd been ducking for cover. They would have helped Sub-Zero, but… from the looks of the moves he had been pulling off, he didn't need it. And his enraged state made **him** seem even more dangerous to be around than the enemies!

"_What in the name of Azarath…_?" whispered Raven hoarsely.

"**DUDE**! He just tore that guy's **head** off!" Exclaimed Beast Boy looking ill.

"What has happened to his _eyes_? They look… _frightening_." Whimpered Star.

"I… think he lost his temper." Robin said, looking like his masked eyes were about to bug out of his head.

"_Naw, ya think_?" snorted Cy. "He lost a temper; **THEY** lost a _Hell_ of a lot more than **THAT**…"

Jinx stayed silent, looking at Zero with wide eyes. She had never actually seen him get angry… much less **THIS** angry. To see him like this after he was normally just a kind hearted, gentlemanly, joking around guy… it scared her. After a moment's hesitation, she got up and began to approach him slowly and cautiously.

"…_Zero_? Zero, are you all right?" Jinx asked urgently, trying to get him to respond.

The knight looked back up at her, and she was relieved to see his eyes back to normal… but also concerned by his loud panting.

"…Jinx?" he moaned softly, as if a little disoriented.

"Mm-hmm, it's me… are you hurt?"

Zero blinked a few times and shook his head slowly.

"I…. I'm not…sure… I don't _think_ so…I'm just so **_tired_**…"

She helped him to his feet, and the others started to make their way over to him as well.

"_Wow_… you really cleaned up back there, bro." Cy said, looking over at the remnants of the attackers.

Zero nodded weakly and said: "I… I guess…. I don't know what was wrong with me, though… I shouldn't have lost control of myself like that…"

"Who cares? You took care of those rejects, so what does it matter?" Beast Boy laughed trying to cheer Zero up… but to limited effect.

Jinx and Robin helped the exhausted Knight stumble light-headedly down a hall way toward his room…

_**ManyHours Later:**_

Zero lay in bed covered up, sound asleep. The others stayed in the room with him. Jinx sat in a chair near the side of the bed, watching him glumly. They had confirmed he was uninjured, but still, there seemed to be something wrong… he was horribly tired, and had fallen asleep as soon as he had gotten to his room.

"Perhaps friend Sub-Zero is ill…" Starfire sniffed looking at him with concern.

"No… I've checked, there's nothing wrong with him. Not physically, anyway." Raven said, shaking her head.

"Do you know what might be wrong with him?" Jinx asked her.

"No. But I do know that it probably had something to do with the way he was so… different back there."

"Zero? What's wrong?" Jinx said suddenly, getting everybody's attention. She was referring to Zero, who had all of the sudden started to groan and twist around in his sleep.

"Zero, wake up!" Jinx insisted, shaking him lightly… and a moment later he opened his eyes, sat up, and yawned widely.

"Oh, man…. What hit me?" he asked, not really remembering what had happened earlier.

Then everything came back to him.

He looked around at his friends. "Are you guys all right?" he asked urgently.

"Yeah, we're fine… we didn't even fight. You took them all out by yourself." Robin reminded.

"Oh…right." He mumbled sheepishly.

He looked at them strangely.

"Guys… what… _happened_ to me back there?"

"Well, we were hoping you could tell us." Jinx said softly. "You were… **different** back there… I didn't like it." She sounded almost frightened.

"She's right." Raven nodded. "I could sense something… _darker_, about you."

"Darker? What do you mean?" Zero asked nervously.

Raven sighed and explained.

"The only thing I can come up with… to explain the glowing eyes, the berserk fighting, your behavior… is maybe they were a physical manifestation of your anger… a similar thing has happened to me, before…" she added softly.

"So…basically, what you mean is… Zero got majorly pissed, got powered up into by his anger, kicked major ass, and then turned back?" Cy asked. Raven nodded.

"Well… I'm just glad I'm back to normal… I don't like being unable to control myself." Zero said with relief.

At that moment, the door burst open to reveal a panicked guard.

"M'lord Sub-Zero! They have arrived! The outsider Slade, he has arrived in a metal whale! We must prepare to defend the castle!"

The guard ran back off.

"**_Slade_**…" Robin whispered venomously.

"Wait… what did he mean 'metal whale'?" asked Star in confusion.

"Probably a submarine… but that's beside the point, we have to go help them!" Cy reminded.

Zero got up and stood resolutely. After a moment, he spoke:

"This is it… the time has come."

**_Things are rapidly heating up… looks like it's time for Norblitz's last stand._**

_**Review guys… it helps me write, I swear.  
**_

**_The Mad Phantom…_**


	20. Chapter Nineteen

_Disclaimer: The Teen Titans are not of my ownership._

_**A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Nineteen**_

The Titans were just outside the castle, fighting off Slade's army with as much power as they could muster…

"**_Hiiyah_**!"

Sub-Zero loosed a battle cry as he shot an ice beam at a group of Robo-Commandos. Several of them were frozen solid, but a few jumped up into the air to dodge it… but they were still screwed, because Starfire blew them away with starbolts anyway.

Sub-Zero looked up at Star and grinned, waving and giving a thumbs-up. She just blushed and flew back off, ready to fry some more Slade bots.

A few robots were charging Cyborg, who stood calmly charging up a shot with his cannon… once they were about thirty feet away, he pointed at them and took them out with a supercharged sonic beam; mechanical parts flew haphazardly around the blast area… all that was left of the bots.

Robin was taking down baddies left and right, tossing his patented birdarangs with pinpoint accuracy, using them to slice off arms and legs of the robots. One of the bots got close without his noticing, and was about to grab him around the neck… but it was suddenly blown up by a pink hex spell from out of nowhere.

Robin realized he had almost been attacked from behind, and looked back to see Jinx standing there grinning with glowing eyes.

"Thank me later, _Robby_!" she teased, before doing a back flip out of the way of some more attacking drones.

The Boy Wonder just shrugged and grabbed some explosive discs from his belt before rushing back into the fray.

Raven shouted her spell: "_Azarath, Metrion, **Zinthos**_!"

A bunch of large chunks of ice, which had been knocked off of the castle walls during the attack, glowed with hissing black energy, and magically were lifted up and hurled at high speed towards the robots, crushing and blowing up many of them.

Jinx ran up to where Raven was, and began flinging her own hexes at the bots in addition to the chunks of ice, doubling the effectiveness of their attack. But one particular robot managed to dodge every hex and hunk of ice, knocked Raven to the ground, and pulled back it's arm about to punch Jinx… but it's arm was abruptly caught up in a flying bola cord that exploded, taking the robots arm off. It stood stupidly for a second, before being sent hurtling off into the air by one of Robin's flying karate kicks.

Robin looked at the stunned sorceresses and chuckled. "No… **_you_** can thank **_me_**, later."

Meanwhile, Starfire continued her aerial assault, hurling a barrage of bolts with impressive accuracy. Unfortunately, she didn't count on one of the mechanical brutes ripping a small, gnarled tree out of the snowy ground and hurling at her… Star had time enough for one, startled yelp before she was knocked out of the sky.

Star hit the ground with a thud, and moaned softly as her head began to throb. The bot that threw the tree had grabbed a large, dangerously sharp icicle from a dead tree branch and lifted it up, preparing to finish off the Tamaranean. But a well-timed birdarang shattered the icicle, and Robin leapt between the bot and Star. He yelled angrily and delivered a powerful karate chop that dented in the right side of the robot's head, sending a shower of sparks everywhere right before the robot slid lifelessly to the ground.

"**Star**! Are you alright?" he knelt down and asked the alien girl, worried to death.

She dusted herself off a little and nodded.

"Yes… I believe I am mostly unharmed." She said softly.

"Good… well… be carefully, okay?" Robin requested seriously, taking her hands in his.

"Of course… I shall." Starfire said, managing to hide a blush.

Robin nodded and ran off to continue the battle.

Cy fired off a quick volley of sonic blasts that devastated a large portion of Slade's troops and chuckled to himself.

"You'd think these guys would be runnin' by now…"

He charged up a beam and fired it out into a platoon of troops, cutting a broad swath through their ranks. Meanwhile…

"**_RAAAAAAAAAAAWWRRR_**!" Shrieked a large, green velociraptor as it leapt at a bunch of Slade commandos, slicing them up with powerful, clawed kicks. A robot attempted to grab the critter by the tail, but it whipped it's tail around and the bot ended up being smashed into the ground by it.

The raptor screeched again, and morphed into a greenish grizzly bear.

The bear bellowed and swiped it's massive paws about, sending bots flying. When one attempted a flying kick, the bear caught it in the mouth by it's leg… and proceeded to bite the leg off, drop the rest to the ground, and stomp on it, flattening it completely.

With a blur of green, Beast Boy changed again into a large, wild-tusked boar that squealed and snorted wildly before taking off towards the bots with its tusks out.

As the green piggy mauled a few robots, Sub-Zero was fencing a group of them several yards away. He was using a combination of freezing ice rays, sword attacks, and kicks; the bots didn't stand much of a chance.

"You guys _never_ learn, **do** you?" he sighed, right before slicing a robot down the middle, separating it into two halves. Another bot tried a flying kick, but he froze the idiot in midair and he hung still for a split second before shattering on the ground. A robot tried a punch, but Zero blocked it with his sword, sliced the thing's fist off, and kicked it so hard in the head with his teal boot that the head just sort of tumbled off the shoulders in a shower of sparks.

It was then that Zero heard a shriek… and with a surge of sudden horror, realized it was Jinx.

He looked back just in time to see Jinx go flying into a snow covered boulder… she thudded painfully against it, and the freezing cold snow slid off onto her, leaving her stunned and helpless… the robot who had thrown her advanced slowly with menacing eyes.

"**_JINX!_**" Zero screamed, terrified.

He growled softly to himself, and drew back his left arm… a glowing burst of blue energy formed in his hand and rapidly started expanding… after a moment, he blasted a full on blue, snow-swirled freezer beam that blazed out in a straight line and blew the unlucky bot to kingdom come.

By this time, the battle was pretty much over, and the Titans had won decisively.

Sub-Zero ran over to the stunned Jinx and knelt down.

"_Oh God_… Jinx, are you okay?" he whispered in worry.

She looked up at him, and he was sickened to see a small trail of blood coming from her hairline…she was bleeding at the scalp where her head had collided with the stone boulder.

"_Ugh_… my head… hurts…" she groaned in pain, holding a shaky hand to the side of her head.

He reached into a pouch on his gray belt, and pulled out a small roll of white, sticky bandages he kept handy in case of injury.

"Here… let me have a look." He told her.

She took her hand away, and Zero brushed away several strands of bubble gum pink hair, until he found a small gash on her temple…

He removed a small piece of bandage and applied it to the gash to stop the bleeding.

"Right… here let me help you up." Sub-Zero said with a nod.

He took Jinx by the arm and gently helped her to her feet.

"Th-thank you…" she murmured softly, her voice wavering slightly.

"No, it was nothing." Zero insisted. "Just try not to hurt your head again."

Jinx shivered violently. "It's so cold…" she mumbled. "Are you cold, Zero?"

"Well, not really… but I'm just used to it." He chuckled.

He wrapped her in his cape, just as he had the other day. He removed his gloves and put his bare hands to her cheeks in an attempt to warm her up. Even in this situation, Zero couldn't help but notice the beauty of her eyes… so feral and docile at the same time; they shone luminously in the dim light like jewels.

Unbeknownst to Sub-Zero, the young witch was doing some _noticing_ of her own… particularly of the soothing warmth radiating from his strong, and yet gentle touch. She sighed contentedly, and the dull pain in her head was soon forgotten…

They stood like that for a couple minutes, Zero holding Jinx wrapped in his cape, with Jinx resting her head on him.

Soon though, Robin found them.

"Guys, are you all right?" he asked immediately.

"I'm fine… Jinx is a little hurt on the head…" he pointed to the bandage. "…but it's not serious." Jinx nodded.

"That's good… everyone else seems to be fine, too."

The Titans regrouped and made their way back in the castle.

Back in the Castle 

Just as the Titans entered the Castle again, a guard ran up and greeted them.

"Hail m'lord! I bear news of Slade." He informed them immediately.

"**_Slade_**? What about him?" Robin asked urgently. The boy wonder vowed to him self that the villainous mastermind would **NOT** get away this time…

"He and his ally, Blood, have broken into the castle dungeons… we couldn't stop them." The guard said with a nod.

"The _dungeons_? Why the **Hell** would they go **there**? Hell, **_WE_** don't even go _there_!" Sub-Zero asked incredulously.

"What's so bad about the dungeons?" Beast Boy asked.

"Let's go… I'll explain on the way there."

As they made their way down many flights of ice steps deeper and deeper into the bowels of Castle Norblitz, Zero enlightened them.

"The dungeons are one of the oldest parts of the castle… we don't even use them anymore…" he said. "It's like a maze down there. And God only knows how deep down they go…"

Raven stopped in her tracks, surprising everyone. She had a look of realization upon her face.

"Huh? Yo, Raven… what's wrong? You look like you had a sudden shock!" Cy said worriedly.

She looked at them with wide eyes.

"The tablet! The words on the stone tablet Slade stole! Don't you remember?" she demanded. "It said something about a maze!"

Robin thought for a moment, and then repeated the parts he could remember.

"Hmm… it said: '_This might is hidden in icy maze deep,_ _Within the mountains, ever so steep._ _The land is lost, the entrance concealed,_ _For it seals away things to make the very blood congeal._ _But in this frozen labyrinth, take heed:_ _Mind your wits, your life to save,_ _Lest you discover an icy grave, knave…' _Do you think it was talking about the dungeon?"

Zero nodded. "It's possible… we better get down there."

Meanwhile, Slade and Brother Blood were in the bowels of the dungeons... the icy walls formed a maze deep below the castle, but they had managed to find their way down.

They were now at the lowest chamber… it was a huge, darkened room dimly lit with blue-flamed candles floating in midair all over the room… at the front of the room was a large, stone podium. On it, there was a large ornate scroll. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of natural ice. The walls, though, were adorned by… **_bones_**. **_Human_** bones. They were strung up all along the walls like decorations… and the icy floor had innumerable, bizarre symbols carved into it. The ceiling had complete, human skeletons hanging from chains…

"Well… I can't say I think much of the décor…" Blood sniffed, a little unnerved by the surroundings.

"If we're going to find something worth coming here for… this is the place to find it." Slade hissed.

Brother Blood walked up to the podium with the scroll… and picked it up. It was written in Latin, and appeared to be some sort of spell…

"Well? Go on, read it." Slade growled impatiently.

Blood cleared his throat and read aloud:

"_Per lacuna scelestus, mortuus, caedos, efforo ortus._"

(A/N: 'With words wicked… the dead, slain, and buried shall rise!')

For a brief, tense moment… nothing happened. Then, the entire chamber began to shake…

The Titans also noticed this as they descended into the old dungeons… not only did the Earth itself seem to be shuddering, the skies suddenly lit up with streaks of white lightning… but the most frightening part was when, for just a few moments…everything went pitch black. Then, it became visible again, the ground stopped shaking, and the skies cleared just as suddenly as it had become stormy.

"Dude… what the heck was **_that_**?" Beast Boy groaned, looking quite pale.

"I do not know… but I do not think it was good." Star sighed.

Jinx noticed something… Raven suddenly looked very startled.

"Huh….hey Raven? Raven?" Jinx tried to get her attention but she didn't respond at first. "Raven, what's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost…"

Raven took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

"I… I… _sensed_ something… like something terrible trying to force it's way into our world…" she whispered, looking uncharacteristically rattled of her.

_**Back With Slade and Brother Blood…**_

The villainous duo could scarcely believe what was happening all around them!

Skeletal hands burst forth from the ground. Half rotted humanoid shapes began to emerge from the walls. Shadowy spirits began to descend from the ceiling above. Skeletons, zombies, ghosts, and other nightmarish apparitions were beginning to materialize all around the chamber… eerie skeletons in dented, ancient armor wielding rusted weapons… bloated, decaying corpses lumbering around snarling and groaning, missing various parts and organs… and strange, hooded and horned, shadowy spirits that flew slowly around, emitting blood-curling screeches.

"**_Damnation_**! We came here for power, not a _trap_!" Blood yelled angrily.

"Then I suggest we _remedy_ the situation." Slade said coldly, going into a fighting stance.

The villains prepared to defend themselves against an undead onslaught… but they were in for a surprise.

The skeletons and undead fell on their rotted knees before them and kept perfectly still… the ghostly forms hovered in front of the pair and made bowing motions with their horned heads.

"Why aren't they attacking?" Slade hissed suspiciously.

It was then that Blood was struck by realization.

"_Of course_…" he said…"**OF COURSE**! **_I understand now_**!" he cackled. "Slade, don't you see it? The power hidden here… is _them_." He pointed toward the unearthly monsters crowded around them. "They are a perfect army… fearless, immortal, merciless, devoid of free will, and no thought of self-preservation!" he concluded.

Slade's one, visible eye widened.

"_**Excellent**_…"

_**Back With The Teen Titans**_

Our heroes were completely unaware of the evil that the villains had just unleashed upon them… though Raven was aware that _something_ was wrong.

They made their way carefully through the narrow, twisting labyrinth under the castle… the only illumination came from the occasional blue-flamed torch upon the wall.

"Damn… we're never going to find our way out of here!" Jinx moaned.

"It's Slade we're after remember? Not the exit." Robin reminded.

"And Blood!" Cy added vehemently. His personal vendetta with Brother Blood was every bit as strong as Robin's with Slade.

Raven still looked very nervous, a weird thing for her. Beast Boy noticed this and walked nearer to her.

"Hey, Rae… you all right?" he asked her hesitantly.

At first, she was silent… then she spoke up softly. "Something's wrong… something's horribly wrong. I can feel it."

Beast Boy shrugged. "Okay… I get that. Things are not all right. But… what I want to know is are **_you_** all right?"

She shivered. "It's … just making me uneasy."

Without warning, she clamped B.Boy's hand tightly… and she walked like that for the rest of the time, much to B.B.'s shock. But he squeezed her hand lightly in return and patted her on the shoulder.

Star and Robin were walking up front, just behind Sub-Zero.

"Star… do you have any idea what happened earlier? With all the shaking and lightning?" Rob asked

She shook her head slowly. "No… but it was most frightening. I… hope it does not happen again."

"I don't think it will." Robin assured, trying to soothe her fear. She hugged him around the shoulder, and he ran a hand through her hair.

"But if it does…" The Boy Wonder continued, "I'll be right here with you."

They were suddenly interrupted by Zero's startled shout.

"Look out! Everybody duck!" and he did so.

As they hit the ground, a volley of arrows soared over their heads. Sub-Zero looked up and saw a sight he would never forget.

_Human skeletons, moving completely of their own according, wearing armor and holding crossbows._

Zero didn't even take the time to sort it out… he just retaliated. With a 'woosh!' he sent a freeze ray their way and froze them solid.

"Whoa…. Skeletons! That's impossible…" Zero whispered in horror. "Skeletons don't _move_…"

But as he moved closer to examine the frozen, skeletal archers; there was no mistaking it: they were indeed skeletons.

"What's going on? You never said anything about **skeletons** down here!" Jinx protested.

"I didn't know!" He answered.

They didn't have time to converse further… rotting corpses began abruptly yanking themselves up through the snow covered ice floor…

"_What in the_…?" Cy yelled, but he was cut off as a zombie hand rose from below and yanked him down to the ground.

"Cy!" B.B. yelled in alarm. He immediately ran over and removed the hand from Cy's leg, and then helped the bionic teen up.

From the spot where the hand had been, a lumbering Zombie rose up, missing a hand.

"**_ZOMBIE_**!" screamed Beast Boy, freaking out.

Star immediately began blasting apart the corpses as they rose from the ground, and Jinx and Raven helped her with their magic. Beast Boy turned into a lion and began fighting off any that got close to him, tooth and claw… meanwhile, Cy's sonic cannon blew them away as they shuffled towards him groaning. Zero defended himself with his sword, and Robin used birdarangs and exploding discs.

_About twenty minutes and about eighty zombies later…_

The Titans had fended off the undead beasts… for now. But shortly after the undead stopped coming, the ground started trembling violently beneath their feet again.

"Not again!" groaned Zero, stumbling around.

A crack suddenly spread along the ground… and a fissure opened up directly below Sub-Zero, swallowing him up and he fell screaming into the dark abyss.

"**_ZERO_**!" Jinx shrieked with horror, while Cyborg made a lunge to try and catch his arm… but it was too late. He was gone…

Zero fell into darkness for what felt like forever… until finally, he hit the ground with an 'Oomph!'

He stumbled to his feet and groaned, taking stock of his surroundings.

He was in a long, brightly lit corridor… the walls were lined with torches, and at the end was a large indention in the wall. There was a pair of tall candelabras with blue flickering candles. It felt strange to have just fallen from such darkness into the bright room. The walls of the corridor were covered totally in odd glyphs, scrawling, and symbols.

Between the two candelabras was a chest… with a large roll of parchment on top. He walked up and examined it curiously. He picked up the roll of parchment, and slowly unrolled it so that he could read it… and gasped in shock and what he read:

'_Sub-Zero…_

_If you are reading this, I am long gone. You probably never knew me all that well, boy… but me name's Dark-Shard. I will explain why you are here._

_When I conducted one of my regular raids on the castle, I got mixed up and lost in the dungeons… I ended up in this very room. It was here that I used some of my knowledge of ancient writings to translate the writing on the wall._

_The writing tells of a prophecy. Two conquerors will assault our land and discover a terrible power that should remain forever hidden: the power to control the dead… a young knight and his comrades will fight off the conquerors, as well as the undead. He will become a true hero, and take his rightful place in the world. Somehow, I don't know how, I knew the writings spoke of my little son…YOU, Sub-Zero._

_I was uncertain how much time I had left in life, so I left you at the Castle to live. _

_I know you now probably think me a scoundrel, a criminal. But everything I stole, I stole for you, son. I wanted you to have anything and everything you wanted, especially after your dear mother died…_

_Sub-Zero, I have left something for you in the treasure chest in front of you… it is called, **Snevakt**. Take it, and use it to dive out the invaders! Save our lands!_

_With love beyond death, your old Father,_

_Cap'n Dark-shard…'_

For several minutes, Sub-Zero stood there stunned. He felt as if he had just received a message from beyond the grave…

His father… was a noble man after all, apparently!

After minutes of silence, Zero noiselessly opened up the chest and stared at awe at what lied within.

It was a shield… a shield made of everlasting, unbreakable ice, just like Eviglasere. It was large and perfectly round, with a faint blue glow emanating from it. This, apparently, was Snevakt.

"_Snevakt_… that means… '_Snow Guard_'…" Zero mumbled to him self. It would make a perfect companion to Eviglasere.

Suddenly, as if by magic, the wall began to crack and open up… and revealed a steep flight of stone stairs. Wordlessly, Zero took Eviglasere in his right hand and Snevakt in his left and started up the stairs.

The young, white-haired, red-eyed knight knew just exactly what he had to do now!

"I don't know what Slade and Blood have released… but I'm going to send it back where it belongs…"

_**That's the end of that chapter! Good? Bad? So-so? Read and Review, as always.**_

_**The Mad Phantom**_


	21. Ch20 ENDGAME pt1

_Disclaimer: Teen Titans? I don't need no Stinkin' Teen Titans!_

_**A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Twenty… E N D G A M E, part 1**_

"_Oh God, Zero no…. please don't be…don't be…_."

Jinx sobbed softly while Cyborg and Starfire were trying to console her… she was unaware that Sub-Zero was alive and well; she thought he had plunged to his death earlier.

"Shhh… Jinx, it's going to be all right… Zero, he… we don't know, he may have survived that fall!" Cy tried to reassure her, but in his heart he felt it wasn't true… he didn't know Zero had survived, either.

"Y-yes… Cyborg is r-right, please do not c-cry…" Star sniffled. She was struggling to contain tears herself.

The sobbing witch looked up from Cyborg's arm, and moaned softly. Tears were still running down her cheeks, and her entire slender body was shaking uncontrollably.

In her mind, an agonizingly painful thought process was going on. Sub-Zero was… gone. The boy that had saved her life, given her a new chance, been the first one to defend her in times of trouble, to keep her company when she was alone, to shine a light onto her path when things were dark… he was gone forever…

Jinx couldn't comprehend it; it all seemed like some awful nightmare that she prayed desperately she was about to wake up from… she was going to wake up any minute, still on Sub-Zero's ship lying next to him, alive and perfectly okay. Even so, she knew she was lying to herself. In her broken heart, she felt a sort of hollowness, filled with only grief and loneliness.

In her mind's eye, she involuntarily pictured Sub-Zero, broken and motionless, laying at the bottom of a dark ravine… the already strained and exhausted young enchantress was overcome by this one, last torment.

Unable to take anymore, she released an anguished scream that made everyone cringe, and then she passed out in a dead faint.

Cyborg gently picked her up and held her, sighing softly. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know… I just can't believe it… Zero's…." Beast Boy shuddered and couldn't finish.

"We have to keep moving. We have to find Slade and Brother Blood… it's what Sub-Zero would've wanted…" Robin said softly and resignedly. He walked over to Star, who had gone into a full-blown crying fit, and hugged her, trying to soothe her pain.

Raven was silent. All her life, she had been taught to control her emotions at all times, never to become too angry, or too sad, or too afraid… but as hard as she tried, she couldn't help a lone, solitary tear sliding down from her left eye… thankfully, her hood hid it…

Everyone looked sadly at Jinx, knowing she was the hardest hit by the loss of the knight; she was mumbling sadly in her sleep.

"_Noooo… Zero… come back. Please… don't…_"

**_Back with Zero…_**

"I gotta find the others…" the knight mumbled.

With a deep breath, he reached into the pocket pouch on his belt, and pulled out the Talisman of the Ice Dragon. He had been keeping it with him at all times these last few days… he looked at it reverently for a moment, and put it back. For some reason, looking at the trinket was… confidence installing.

As he made his way up the stone steps, he held tightly to his new shield, Snevakt. White straps from the back of the icy shield kept it firmly attached to his left forearm, and it was in a good position for blocking attacks at a moments notice. Snevakt's surface was luminous and reflective; Sub-Zero could see his own reflection perfectly in it.

In his right hand was Eviglasere. It's elegant but deadly ice blade reflected from torchlight on the walls, making it shine reflectively.

What had amazed Sub-Zero so much was the way these two weapons had seemed to be made for each other. With these, he felt as though he could take on anything.

"Just hang on guys… I'm coming." He muttered under his breath.

Finally, after much climbing, he reached a huge metal door. There was no telling how old it was… it was heavily rusted in it's frame; countless years of dripping ice had rusted it heavily. He reached for the handle instinctively… only to find a problem…

"_What_? **Locked**?" Zero demanded. "Oh, now that's just terrific!"

Sure enough, the door wouldn't budge.

Zero groaned and leaned hopelessly against the door… before remembering something that might help.

He reached into his belt again and pulled out another thing he had retrieved from his ship: a handful of lock picks.

At the time, he had just grabbed them on a whim, he hadn't actually expected to need them. Looking back, he was glad he had.

Zero focused and carefully inserted the metal tool into the ancient, rusty key lock.

He wiggled it around and pushed it in and out a few times, muttering as he did so.

"Come on… come on, ya stupid little so and so…" he grumbled, the absurd difficulty of the lock pissing him off.

Finally, there was a loud, resounding 'click' that echoed around the walls. He had done it.

"Sweet… chalk another one up for Sub-Zero." He chuckled as the door swung slowly open with a loud, shrill creak.

Zero took a deep breath and made his way into the next dark passageway…

_**Back with the Titans**_

Jinx had regained consciousness pretty soon after they had set off again. She had stopped crying, but to everyone else, she seemed to be in even worse shape than before.

Her only defense against the maddening sadness and loneliness was to try and block out everything completely… she just walked along behind the Titans with an expressionless face, saying absolutely nothing the whole time.

After a few minutes of walking, Beast Boy froze in his tracks. Cyborg looked back at him.

"Huh? Beast Boy, what's up?" the bot asked.

"_Shhhhh_!"

Beast Boy's animalistic, super sharp hearing was picking something up… it was like someone… _singing_?

"Friend Beast Boy, what is troubling you?" Star asked looking afraid.

"I… I think I **hear** something…" he explained.

After a tense moment… it began to slowly grow louder… and the rest of the Titans could hear it, too. Soon, they could make out words…

It was a bizarre, warbling voice chanting in a twisted singsong voice…

**_"We're gonna get you, we're gonna get you, we're gonna get you…"_** the disembodied voice sang mockingly…

As the heroes looked frantically around for the source, they saw nothing…

The voice began to warp and change… first it changed into a little girl's voice, then that of a grown man… then a person with a thick accent of some sort… and then an opera singer, the whole time singing:

**_"We're gonna get you, We're gonna get you, We're gonna get you…. Not another peep, time to go to sleep…"_**

"**Dude**! What's going on? Who's doing this?" Beast Boy demanded, really freaking out.

"_Please_… make it stop…" whimpered Starfire, cupping her ears and trying to drown out the awful voices…

Robin squinted into the darkness again, looking for a sign of anyone… but there was no one there…

"This is **ridiculous**!" Cy burst out angrily. "_Whoever_ or _Whatever_ the Hell's doin' this, come out and fight like a **man**!"

Abruptly, the cacophony of soft, distorted voices died down into an ominous silence.

_And then… _

**All Hell broke loose.**

**_"Hee Hee Hee Hee Hee!"_**

With an unearthly, demented burst of cackling, a swarm of black, horned ghosts began materializing out of the ceiling and swooped down upon the Titans.

"What the—?" was all Robin had time to say before one of the spirits swiped him to the ground with a clawed, skeletal hand. "Arrrrgh!"

Starfire immediately attempted to protect Robin, flinging green starbolts at the dark spirits. They were blown up by the blast… but just materialized right back again, cackling madly.

Jinx and Raven started slinging spells like crazy, but to no avail. Raven's dark energy bolts worked no better than Star's energy blasts, and Jinx's hexes had no effect on the specters whatsoever.

Cyborg was faring little better. His cannon blew them away in a poof of smoky haze, but the smoke just formed right back together into a spirit, good as new.

"Grrr… isn't there any way to kill you _suckas_?" Cyborg snarled under his breath. He was blasting the Hell out of them but they just kept coming. Then, a real shock: the thing actually answered him.

"_**Foolish mortal**! You cannot **kill** what is already **dead**_!" the spirit moaned angrily.

Another one of the ghosts was having an aerial battle with a large, green bat. The bat screeched and attempted to sink it's razor sharp fangs into the spirit… but just ended up going right through it like it wasn't even there. The ghost hissed angrily and formed a ball of shadowy matter in it's skeletal hands… it hurled it at the green bat, knocking the flying creature out of the air. It hit the ground hard and morphed back into a short, green shape shifter.

"Oh man…. Watch out guys! Those shadow ball thingies pack a punch…" Beast Boy groaned, sitting up with difficulty.

Jinx shrieked shrilly in pain and fear as one of the things grabbed her by the hair and carried her up into the air. She slapped at it with both arms, kicking and screaming while tears of terror spilled down her face.

"_Do not weep, little girl! Soon, you will be dead as we are… and you will be with your precious little knight again! Would you not like that?_" the ghostly monster growled cruelly, taking sadistic pleasure in tormenting the poor sufferer.

The evil entity threw her forcefully to the ground from high up, and then swooped down to finish her with an inhuman roar of unholy rage. The thing outstretched it's long, spiky claws; Jinx just cowered helplessly on the ground because she knew there was nothing she could do… it was over…

_**'CLANG!' **_

The loud resounding sound resembled, not claws ripping flesh, but rather… a metallic bang, as if the ghost's claws had suddenly collided with something… hard and sturdy.

When the pain never came, Jinx looked up and saw something that nearly made her break into tears on the spot.

_"…No… it can't be… Z-Zero?" _Jinx moaned softly, her eyes wide and tearing up with joy.

Indeed, Sub-Zero was back! He had just emerged from a passage on the wall and had rushed to block the spectre's claws with his new shield.

"**_NO! IMPOSSIBLE! YOU'RE DEAD!_**" The phantom beast roared angrily.

"Not as dead as you're about to be, you puff of secondhand smoke…" Sub-Zero retorted in a deadpan voice.

The ghosts all around the chamber screeched angrily and flew above them, going in circles like buzzards.

Sub-Zero dashed up to Cyborg.

"**_Zero_**! You're **back**! But _how_--?" he began, but Zero cut him off.

"Never mind that… Cy, haven't you got a build in spotlight?" he asked urgently.

"Huh? Yeah, you're _right_… I'd forgotten about that thing… we could have been using **that** to see in here!" he said, smacking himself for his stupidity.

"Forget about that! I need you to turn it on and turn it up as bright as it'll go!"

Cyborg didn't really understand how this would help the situation, but he did as Zero said. He brought the large spotlight out of his mechanized shoulder, and turned it to full blast, sending a ray of bright light forward.

Grinning, Sub-Zero stuck his shield in front of the beam of light… it reflected off it's surface like a mirror! The beam ricocheted upwards at an angle and grew in length, width, and intensity…

**_"NOOOOOOOOO! THE LIGHT!" _**The evil spirits groaned in agony.

As the bright, pure light hit them, they began to change. No longer did they seem hazy and not solid… they looked solid, with definite shapes.

"**_ARRRRRRRRGGGGHHH! KILL THEM! KILL THEM_**!"

The now-solid spirits began to swoop down upon Zero. But he smiled grimly and outstretched a hand that began to shimmer with a pulsing blue glow… and he said one thing.

"_You filthy corpses keep the blue blazes away from **my woman**…_"

They ghosts had no time to swerve to the side as Sub-Zero materialized a howling snowstorm from his hands and fired it at them at high velocity. Their now-physical bodies were frozen solid and they fell to the ground, shattering into pieces…

In the stunned silence following Sub-Zero's victory, he walked calmly over to Jinx and kneeled down.

"Now… are you all right, darling?" he asked in concern, his crimson eyes looking deeply at her.

She was stunned. But still, she reflexively threw her arms around his neck and started sobbing happily as the other Titans began crowding around Zero as well.

"_Oh God, oh Zero, you're… y-you're…. You're alive! I thought I'd lost you! I…. I…_" Jinx sobbed, tears pouring from her like water from a sink. He hugged her soothingly and rubbed her slender back, whispering softly into her ear.

"_Shhhhh_… please quit crying. Why've you always gotta be crying anyway?" He joked. "You know I _hate_ that…"

"Holy…. Sub-Zero, you're okay!" Robin yelled in relief. "How did you get out of that ravine?"

"And how did you survive that fall?" Beast Boy added.

"Yeah…. And how'd you know how to stop those things?" Cy demanded.

He looked up and started to answer, but was suddenly pounced upon by a wild Tamaranean.

"**_FRIEND SUB-ZERO! YOU ARE ALIVE! YOU ARE ALL RIGHT_**!" Star screamed happily, inadvertently grabbing him up in one of her 'death hugs.'

"**_URP_**! Not for long if I can't breathe Star…"

She let go and then gave him another hug, this time more gently.

"Oh, I am sorry friend Zero! I am so overjoyed to see you alive and well again!" she sniffed, her emerald eyes almost tearing up.

"Aww, not don't **YOU** start, too!" he begged, not wanting two crying girls around.

She sniffed again and rubbed her eyes. "I am sorry."

Sub-Zero turned his attention back to the sniffling sorceress in his arms.  
"Jinx… seriously, are you all right?" he asked.

She looked up, no longer crying, but beaming in happiness. "Zero… you came back to me…" she purred softly.

"Heh… you bet I did. What, you thought a little fall could do me in? I thought you guys knew me better than that!" he chuckled. "I'm pretty… _resilient_."

She looked at his shield.

"Zero… where did you get that shield?" she whispered curiously.

"Yeah I was wondering about that, too!" Cy added eagerly.

Sub-Zero smiled broadly.

"Well, It's name is **_Snevakt_**… and you could say it's just a delayed father-son present…" he said mysteriously. The Titans didn't trouble him for any more information.

Sub-Zero and Jinx looked deeply into each other's eyes…

"Guys… I just want to apologize in advance for what I'm about to do… and you might want to avert your eyes." He warned.

"Uh… _what_?" Robin said, confused.

Without answering, Zero seized Jinx's face in his hands, leaned down and gave her a full-blown, passionate kiss on the lips, but Jinx wasn't complaining. She ran her pale, gray hands over his armored chest and purred softly in contentment… and the kiss ended about a minute and a half later.

They looked up to see Robin looking stunned, Cy and B.B. grinning dumbly and drooling, Starfire covering her face while giggling and blushing, and Raven with her back to them and her hood pulled down.

Zero grinned lopsidedly and asked: "Now… pardon my _French_, but… who feels up for kicking some serious, super villain **Ass**?"

_**Back with our hapless Villains…**_

Slade and Brother Blood sat in the same chamber as before on a pair of makeshift thrones, built out of bones, ice, and rocks by their undead servants.

"Very good. The demonic spirits will have killed those meddlesome Titans once and for all by now." Slade said calmly.

"Yes… and with our new army, we shall control not only this pathetic little island, but Jump City as well!" cackled Brother Blood.

"No… _the world_." Corrected Slade with a malice filled hiss.

Both bad guys began laughing evilly. A moment later, a skeleton shuffled clumsily in holding a tray with a pair of golden goblets filled with rum.

"It's about time!" Bellowed Blood, grabbing a goblet. Slade took the other.

Just as they were about to take a swig of it, a birdirang flew out of nowhere and took out both goblets, splashing the baddies with wine, and taking down the skeleton waiter on the way back.

The stupefied villains looked at the entrance to the chamber… only to see the **_LAST_** seven people they wanted to see:

Robin standing there holding a birdarang, Starfire hovering in midair with eyes and hands glowing green, Cyborg charging up his sonic cannon, Beast Boy crouched next to Cy with a grin, Raven floating in midair with her cloak swirling around her, Sub-Zero in a fencing stance with Eviglasere and Snevakt ready for battle, and last but not least Jinx with glowing pink eyes and an impish smile.

"No! You're supposed to be dead!" Blood cried furiously.

"Well, what can we say? We're persistent." Cy retorted.

Slade remained calm and looked at them with an expression of mild interest.

"True… but not for long. I must admit, this game of cat and mouse has been entertaining. But every game has to end, sometime." Slade said in a businesslike tone. "It's time to die, Titans."

"No, Slade. You're not getting away **_THIS_** time!" Robin yelled.

The battle was on.

Immediately, skeletons with weaponry and large, mutant zombies burst forth from the chamber upon Slade and Blood's whim.

"Zero, Raven, Jinx, Star, and Beast Boy… you take the undead. Cyborg, you take Brother Blood." Robin doled out orders quickly and precisely.

"So, what about Slade?" Zero asked curiously?

A look of grim determination spread over The Boy Wonder's masked visage.

"**_Leave Slade to me_**."

The Titans broke apart and started whupping up on the baddies.

Jinx was ready to get back at those undead boneheads for almost killing Zero.

"Your little ghost pals got frozen by Zero…" she taunted. "But you deadheads won't be so lucky!"

She did a ballerina-style spin and launched a spiral of ribbon-shaped, neon-pink hex energy up into the air. It came down with a 'zap' and caused the ground beneath a group of skeletons to cave into a rubble pit and swirl around like a blender, grinding the skeletons up.

Jinx back flipped out of the way of a pair of charging skeletons, both with axes, and they just ended up chopping each other's skulls off. They looked around dumbly for a moment before Jinx spun her leg around in the air in a dance-like move and shattered them both into bones and dust.

"What's the matter? Lost your head over little ol' me?" she giggled devilishly.

The hexer did a few cartwheels into a nearby zombie knocking it to the ground, and then blasted it with a hex bolt, splattering it apart. A few more of the stupid blighters came shuffling near, and she tossed a slew of hexes their way.

They were hit dead on by the pink magic, and for a moment nothing happened. Then, they just kind of fell apart, first the arms, then the head, then the legs, and so on as they came nearer, leaving a trail of body parts behind. They were in pieces before they got to her.

"Oh, Now _really_… there no reason to go to pieces on me like that…" Jinx pouted mockingly.

She just laughed, shrugged, and took off again to hex some more undead.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy had morphed into a massive snake and was constricting the crap out of a few hapless zombies. The green snake hissed and squeezed harder and harder, until finally the zombies just popped like squeezed balloons, sending blood and various other bodily fluids spewing everywhere.

With another loud his, the huge snake changed into a green hyena and 'laughed' to itself before dashing off and tackling a skeleton to the ground. The skeleton attempted to stab the hyena in the mouth with it's spear, but the beastie grabbed the shaft of the spear in it's powerful jaws and bit it in half. The skeleton gave an 'oh, crap' look, just in time to mauled…

Elsewhere, Sub-Zero was fencing a ten-foot tall, six armed skeleton. It wore thick, iron armor over it's bony body. It brandished a menacing variety of weaponry. It's lower left arm held a ball-and-chain mace, it's lower right held a long spear, it's middle left arm held a broadsword, it's middle right a battle axe, and both upper arms holding crossbows. It's belt held a pair of razor sharp daggers and a quiver of arrows was on it's back.

"Geeze, fella… you think you got enough gear, there?" Zero taunted.

The hulking undead just roared with unnatural fury and fired off a round of arrows. Zero dodged them easily and attacked with his sword. While reloading it's crossbows, it swung at him with the sword and spear at the same time. Zero quickly and effectively blocked the spear with his shield and locked swords with the undead beast.

"Grrr… you may have numbers… but I got the skill, baby." Zero laughed.

With that, he pulled a fast one: he whipped his leg up and kicked the sword out of the things hands, freeing up Zero's sword. He sliced off two of the things arms and left it lacking a sword and a spear.

"Come on, rotten meat-face… come get some!" Sub-Zero said cockily.

The thing hissed in anger and fired more arrows. Zero deflected them with his shield and pulled yet ANOTHER trick. With a grunt, he tossed his shield like a discus… it whipped through the air and knocked both crossbows out of the giant skeleton's hands…

"Heh… I like to call that my 'frozen Frisbee' technique." The knight joked as Snevakt came sailing back to his arm, where he caught it in the strap and held it up.

The massive corpse, fed up with getting it's butt kicked, swung it's ball and chain and bashed Sub-Zero hard on the shield. He blocked it, but the sheer force sent him sliding back.

"Whoa… that thing's got to go…" he muttered.

The next time it swung the mace, Zero held his sword straight out in front of him and the mace got caught on it's blade, enabling Zero to yank it out of it' s hand.

Left with only an axe, the cadaver shrieked in anger and swung the one remaining weapon… only to have it's entire axe-arm lopped off, courtesy of Eviglasere. With another quick chop, the thing's head was sent flying into the air. As the body slid slowly to the ground, Zero froze the head in midair… it fell down and shattered upon the body.

"Well then… Zero: 1…. Undead: dead…. Game. Set. Match." He chuckled and ran off to continue the fight.

While all this was going on, Raven was zapping a combination of Zombies and Skeletons with her black magic, frying them. She also picked up large chunks of ice and stone and hurled them at her foes.

"_Azarath, Metrion, **Zinthos**_!" she chanted, picking up the large thrones that Slade and Brother Blood had been sitting in and sending them hurtling towards a skeleton with a pair of swords. It was shattered into dust…

"Stupid skeletons…" she muttered darkly under her breath.

Meanwhile, Brother Blood was dodging a supersonic beam from Cyborg's cannon.

"You mechanical whippersnapper! Show your elders some respect!" Blood roared, whipping off his fancy robes to reveal his red and black armor. He let fly with a flying samurai kick that knocked Cyborg back.

"Uhgh… you're gonna pay for that, geezer…" Cy groaned getting up and blasting away with his cannon.

Blood dodged several more shots, but finally slipped up and was hit, sent flying backwards with a hoarse yell.

Meanwhile, Slade and Robin were ferociously duking it out.

"Hiyah!" Robin hollered as he tried a karate chop to the head. But Slade blocked it and did a judo throw, tossing Robin over his back. Robin ended up face down on the ground.

"_Robin, Robin, Robin_…" Slade said making a '_tsk'_ sound. "You really shouldn't have come. You came _all_ this way and fought _so_ hard… just to **die**."

But Slade hadn't noticed that, behind Robin's back, he had been getting something out of his utility belt. Not a birdarang… not an explosive disc… not a grappling hook… it was something he'd been saving for a special occasion.

**_A hand grenade_**.

"No Slade… I wouldn't have missed this for the world." Robin countered and whipped the grenade out… in a matter of seconds, he had pulled the pin and hurled the tiny, but potent explosive straight at Slade's masked face.

**_Bam!_**

The seemingly invulnerable bad guy was blown back all the way across to where Cyborg had just finished laying a bionic smackdown on Bro. Blood.

The two villains looked at each other.

"Well… you know what they say… 'he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.'" Blood Began.

"Correct. I believe a hasty retreat is in order. We'll leave a little surprise for them, though." finished Slade.

Bro. Blood smiled evilly and chanted another spell he had found on the scroll: "_Draconus ex Excessum, Agito Protinus_!" (A/N: 'Dragon of Death, come forth!')

Out of nowhere, Slade pulls a small lever on a nearby wall… and a passage opens up near the back wall, which the baddies quickly escaped to.

"**_AFTER THEM_**!" Robin, Cyborg, and Sub-Zero yelled simultaneously. But it was too little too late… the passage had already slammed shut, and the lever that triggered it was stuck in place; the passage couldn't be reopened.

The Titans stood there, victorious.

"All right! We came, we saw, we kicked their—" B.Boy began

"Slade got away…." Robin growled under his breath. "Again."

Starfire floated up to him and looked at him with pleading green eyes. "Robin, I… I know you are enraged by Slade's escape, but… " she paused hesitantly. "Can you not be happy we have won? Friend Zero's Island is saved."

Robin looked at her intently. "You're right." He said finally. "I won't worry about it."

"There's one thing I don't understand…" Raven said slowly. "What was that spell of Blood's for?"

As if on cue, the entire chamber went pitch black and the ground shook. Then, the candles floating around the chamber flickered back to life and the shaking stopped. Then, it happened.

Every bone… every chunk of rotted flesh… every fragment of the undead that lay in the room from the earlier battle… started to move.

They floated up into the air… and grouped together as one, and started taking on a shape of their own… the shape of a **_dragon_**.

Finally, the heroes could only stare in horror as the massive, skeletal beast reared it's huge, ugly head back and roared mightily. When it did so, it's mouth spewed, not fire, but freezing mist.

The mist formed a wall of impenetrable ice between Sub-Zero and the rest of the Titans with the dragon on Zero's side.

Sub-Zero stared in confusion as the wall began expanding and eventually formed kind of an icy arena around him and the death dragon.

He looked back to see the others frantically trying to break through the ice and help him… but to no avail.

Sub-Zero was on his own.

_**Heheheheh…. Can you say cliffhanger? Well, I'm doing only two more parts after this: Zero's fight with the Death Dragon, and a quick little epilogue to provide the 'ending'.**_

_**Then…. (Drumroll)…. I can begin work on the SEQUEL! …ahem, cue applause.**_

_**Anyway, read and review please.**_

_**The**__**Mad**__**Phantom**_


	22. Ch21 ENDGAME pt2

_Disclaimer: For the last friggin' time, I DON'T OWN TEEN TITANS…huff…puff…_

_**A Dish Best Served Cold—Chapter Twenty One: E N D G A M E, part 2 **_

_**Duel With The Death Dragon…**_

"Hoo, boy…" a young knight gulped.

Sub-Zero stared in horror and anticipation as he watched the giant, undead monstrosity in front of him.

It was a dragon, made of bones, rotting flesh, and ice. It's skeletal head had a pair of bright yellow pupils glaring out of the sunken eye sockets, like headlights in darkness. The neck was a long, thick spine with sharp, cruel, curved spiked growing out the back. From it's forehead jutted a massive horn that looked like it alone was about thirty feet long.

The Death Dragon hissed in anger, freezing mist shooting out of it's skeletal nostrils as It did so. It flapped it's huge wings, which were skeletal frames with a thin membrane of rotting flesh between the bones… large holes were punctured in the wings, but that didn't impair it's wing power at all.

The skeletal serpent's huge body was completely skeletal and hollow… just a giant rib cage with four huge legs attached… it's feet were tipped with curved claws of bone; Zero noticed with revulsion that they dripped with a noxious, green liquid… he was quite sure they were horribly venomous. The creature opened up it's dump-truck sized mouth, and he saw the same, green poison dripping from it's yellowed fangs…

It's long, whip-like tail was made of countless human spines, which were coiled and tangled around each other to form a thick, giant tail. The Death Dragon snarled and whipped it around. Sub-Zero saw a large spike attached to the tip of the tail, which spun around on a socket like a massive drill…

"_Oh great, just great_… Freezing breath… wings… poisonous teeth and claws… drill tail…." Zero listed the beast's advantages off to himself, trying to size up his situation.

Without warning, the Death Dragon roared and fired out a jet of blue flames, like the Norblitzians used in their torches… Zero instinctively brought up his shield and blocked it just in time to avoid being deep-fried.

"…. And **fire** breath, too…. **_Shit_**…" he cursed furiously. He _HATED_ fire…

So, the fight was on. The massive Death Dragon charged, it's heavy footsteps shaking the chamber. As he saw the clawed feet coming closer and closer, he shouted and jumped out of the way, only to be knocked against the wall by the tail.

_"**Aaaaaarrrrggghhhh**__"_ he screamed as he thudded against the wall and slid off.

He got up groaning and saw a stream of blue fire heading towards him. As before, he brought up his shield and gritted his teeth as he pushed against the burning stream with all his might.

Finally, the Dragon closed it's mouth and stopped blowing fire. Instead, it opted for a new, aerial strategy. It flapped it's massive, airplane-sized wings with enough force to whip up snow off of the ground into a blinding cloud.

It flew up near the top of the chamber; it slowly soared overhead and spat down bolts of freeing mist. Down on the ground, Zero ran in between the attacks and decided he should try to attack.

"Okay, **BBQ** **Breath**… try _this_ on for size…" he growled and tossed Snevakt like a discus just as he'd done before, when he fought the six armed skeleton.

It soared upwards with a high-pitched whistle and struck the beast in the jaw, shattering a small chunk off.

**_"SKKKRRRRRAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHSSSSSSS!" _**The Death Dragon roared in pain and shot flames from it's mouth. The shield flew back down to Zero and he caught it.

The Death Dragon swooped down straight at Zero, ready to make him pay for his attack. Zero just stood calmly…

Finally, the Dragon was about to hit the ground, but it veered upwards and skimmed just above the ground, heading towards the tiny knight like a giant, airborne torpedo… but Sub-Zero just stood without moving.

When the dragon was about thirty-five feet from mowing him down… Zero jumped…. And landed on it's neck, just behind the head.

"**Yee-haw**! _Giddyap_, ya bony **_bastard_**!" Zero laughed, riding it like a giant, flying bronco.

**_"SKKRAGHHSSRRSS!" _**Clearly, the Death Dragon was none too pleased about it's unwelcome passenger.

The huge monster flew high up into the air and flailed it's head about wildly, trying to send Zero flying off into space. But the knight's superhuman grip kept him firmly attached.

With a quick and perceptive glance, Sub-Zero noticed a small opening near where the base of the spinal neck attached into the skull-socket. Then, he had a **twisted**, yet _brilliant_ idea…

Zero held on tight, and slowly began crawling up the neck toward the opening, despite the Death Dragon's best efforts to get him off…

When the young warrior got there, he squeezed himself through the opening, and literally wound up inside the thing's skull… where he found something he really didn't need to see…

There in the center of the skull, sat a huge, rotted-looking, undead brain, attached to the 'floor' of the skull by thick, slimy 'roots.' It pulsed and shuddered nauseatingly, with blood flowing off it the entire time.

"_Ewww_…. So **THAT'S** what makes this guy tick…" Zero groaned, holding a gloved hand to his face to block out the smell inside the skull…, which, by the way, was _truly_ heinous…

Then, a wicked grin spread across our heroes face.

"_Alrighty then_… time to give this undead son-of-a-gun a **_serious_** case of brain freeze."

He charged up his ice beam, and fired it at the evil thing's brain at full power…

While this was happening, the Titans were still stuck outside the ice barrier that the Death Dragon had created to make sure they didn't interfere.

"Where'd Zero go?" Beast Boy asked worriedly.

"Isn't he riding that thing?" Cy reminded.

The Boy Wonder shook his head. "He **WAS**, but I lost track of him… I hope he didn't fall down…"

Raven shook her head. "No, I've been watching the ground… he's still up there with that dragon.

"Gah! This stupid ice won't break!" screamed Jinx in frustration. Ever since the fight had started, she had been hitting the ice walls with hexes in a frenzied attempt to get in and help Zero… but to limited effect.

Suddenly, the heroes saw the airborne terror start roaring in agony and bashing itself into the walls…

"_Huh_? **Dude**, what's it **_doing_**?" B.B. asked quizzically.

The giant, flying monster landed and started banging it's head against the ground over and over…

"_Uhhh_… looks like it's beating the **Hell** out of itself…" Cy said with slight confusion.

Meanwhile, back inside the thing's skull, Zero laid off his ice ray.

"Heh… don't like that, **do** ya? Then how 'bout a little _migraine_?" he snickered. He unsheathed Eviglasere, held it up like a needle and approached the brain menacingly… and stabbed it's brain with a noise one might liken to a butter knife going into an apple.

_**"SKKKRRRAAAARRRGGHHHSSKCHHL!"**_

"Something has made sick the dragon of death and bones…" Star said with a blink.

Back in the head, Zero was bashing the ever-loving mess out of the monster's brain with his shield, producing sickening 'splats.'

"And that… (_splat_!)… Is why … (_splat_!)… You don't … (_splat_!)… Mess … (_splat_!) … With … (_splat_!) … **Sub- **… (_splat_!) … **Ze**- … (_splat_!) … -**RO! **(**_SPLAT, SPLAT, SPLAT!_**)

The beast continued to howl in agony and writhe around… until finally, it was fed up. The thing reared it's head back… and snorted. And snorted again… and again, louder this time…

"It sound's like that thing's trying to hack something up…" Robin groaned in disgust.

Finally… **_"SHRAIRKKH!" _**

The thing spit up a disheveled looking Knight out of it's mouth, who landed on the ground with a thud…

"_Uuurrghh_…. **No one** must know where **I** have _been_…" Sub-Zero groaned, a little light headed from the fumes inside that thing's head.

Back behind the ice barrier, the Titans just stood there looking bemused.

"Oh, **_Dude_**… he was in it's **_skull_**…" Beast Boy realized.

"_Damn_! I've heard of messing with your opponent's head, but **_that_** was pretty extreme…" Raven mumbled in surprise.

Meanwhile, the Death Dragon was chasing Zero around the arena, breathing balls of explosive blue flames.

"Oh _crap_, this guy's pissed…" Zero moaned.

One of the fireballs exploded right behind him, sending him flying with it's explosion.

"**_Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh_**!"

**_"Sub-Zero! Hang on!" _**Jinx cried desperately. She knew she couldn't be heard, but she did it anyway. She had come so close to losing him before… she didn't want to lose him _now_…

"Yes! You can defeat that overgrown _clorbag varblernelk_ any time you wish!" Star cheered.

"Take that bonehead down **hard**!" Cyborg yelled.

Although he didn't hear them, he got up and dusted himself off nonetheless. The Death Dragon roared and prepared to spit another jet of flames, but this time, Sub-Zero was ready for it.

As the beast opened it's mouth, Zero fired off a surprise freeze beam right into it's cakehole, filling it's mouth up with ice. The Death Dragon just kind of grunted and growled while trying to break the ice and free up his jaws again.

Taking advantage of that, Sub-Zero dashed towards the beast and leapt up towards it with Eviglasere out…

_**'S-LICE! S-LICE!'**_

There were two, precise sword attacks in quick succession and Sub-Zero landed on the ground behind the dragon's back. Both he and it were completely still for a few seconds… then, the Death Dragon's wings toppled off it's body and broke upon the ground.

**_"RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKK!" _**The monster let out a panicked, screeching snarl.

Sub-Zero chuckled victoriously. "Well ugly, looks like you're grounded…"

This didn't matter too much though, because it was still a formidable foe.

With a bellow, the Death Dragon lashed out with his drill-tipped tail and attempted to run the knight through with it. Zero, however, was too fast. He fell upon the ground and the tail sailed over him… thus, getting stuck in the ice wall.

The thing roared and shrieked in confusion while trying to yank it's tail back out.

"**Hah**! **Yeah**! That's what ya get, isn't it? _Isn't it_ you stupid blighter?" Zero taunted, laughing out loud.

Still laughing, Zero broke into a run and jumped up, slicing off the tail just as he had the wings. The severed bone tail just dangled lifelessly, still stuck in the wall…

The Death Dragon roared yet again and ran at him, seething with dark rage… and before Zero could get out of the way, it _swallowed_ him.

**_"Zero, NO!" _**Jinx screamed in horror on the other side of the barrier.

The monster licked it's lips and hissed contentedly… until it's mouth was suddenly forced open again, revealing Sub-Zero standing between it's fanged jaws, pushing up on the top jaw with his arms and down on the bottom jaw with his legs.

_"Ugh…Grr… must…not….get….**eaten**…."_ the knight grunted, straining between the Death Dragon's teeth. Finally, with a tremendous grunt and superhuman effort, the young warrior pushed the jaws so far apart, that the bottom jaw fell off and shattered upon the ground below…

Zero fell down and knelt on his knees, as the Death Dragon just kind of froze stiff behind him.

Then, apparently defeated, the massive, heavily damaged horror just collapsed upon the ground, making the entire place quake dangerously under it's tremendous weight.

Zero grinned at his friends and bowed.

"All right! Zero won!" Robin cheered, relieved.

"Looks like that dragon'll think twice next time…" Cy said with a pleased nod.

"Friend Sub-Zero has emerged victorious!" Chirped Star.

"Oh Zero… you're okay…" Jinx whispered in relief.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened. The tail, still stuck in the nearby wall… came back to life.

'**_WOOSH_**!'

No one had time to react as Zero was abruptly impaled upon the drill tip, his armor shattering and flesh being peirced.

**_"AAAAAAHHHHHH! Ughh!"_** he screamed and moaned, taken completely off guard.

As our heroes watched in horror, the tail lifted him up while the rest of it's body rose up.

Zero struggled helplessly upon the drill, while blood dripped from his impalement wound. The single-jawed head glared wickedly at him and started charging up a blast of blue fire, about to finish Sub-Zero off once and for all…

Zero managed to look up, his face contorted with pain…. And the Titans realized something they had seen happen only one other time before.

_Sub-Zero's eyes were glowing pale, ice blue._

"_Y-you… go t-to **Hell**…_" Zero snarled in cold, furious anger. **_"FROZEN FURY!"_**

And Zero yelled loudly and held up both hands… a massive blizzard erupted from them with no warning.

The maelstrom of snow, wind, and ice was so powerful; the Death Dragon's head was literally blown off of the shoulders, then, bit by bit, bone by bone, piece by piece… the entire, unholy monstrosity was blown away and shattered in midair.

The powerful northern winds produced by Sub-Zero's fury also blew down the walls separating the Titans from the combatants…

With a final burst of white and blue energy, snow, ice, wind, and cold; the entire chamber lit up…

A Couple Minutes Later… 

The Titans pulled themselves up off of the ground where they had been knocked to by Zero's final move.

Jinx was the first to remember what had just happened.

"Oh no…_no_…." she whimpered immediately getting up and running to where Zero had fallen. The others stumbled to their feet and followed her.

After only a little searching, they found him.

Sub-Zero lay in the middle of the chamber, bleeding horribly from his wound and groaning. His armor was completely ruined; his white robes were stained crimson red with his blood. His cape was ripped and hung haphazardly over him like a funeral shroud.

Jinx screamed and ran over, falling to her knees and sobbing her heart out. The others followed.

"_Oh god, **Zero**… Don't die! Please, don't die_!" Jinx pleaded desperately.

"Urrrrrpph…. Not….dyin'…… just restin' my….eyes." Zero moaned, not quite in his right mind… the blood loss was affecting him. Jinx couldn't say anything else, overcome by grief.

"Raven! Come heal him!" Beast Boy said. "You can heal wounds can't you?" he demanded.

Raven looked at him with sorrow and shook her head. "Beast Boy… I…. I can heal small, minor wounds… this, I can't do anything about…"

"Friend Sub-Zero… please do not abandon us!" Starfire sniffled, looking horrified.

"Come on, **bro**…. You can beat this…" Cy insisted.

"He's right… we'll get you back to the ship, get you patched up. We brought a bunch of medical supplies from the Tower when we left." Robin backed up Cyborg, nodding and putting a hand on Zero's shoulder.

"No…. no time…. Jinx can….you….hear me?" Sub-Zero gasped softly. His voice was so weak and hoarse, she just barely heard him.

"Yes, yes I can hear you, Zero…" she said, thinking to calm him.

"Good….Jinx, I ….. don't have….much time….I need to tell you…." He groaned and coughed up a bit of blood, causing her to let out a muffled sob.

"Jinx…. I…..I…..Love…..y-y-y……youuuuu……………"

With that one, last sentence… his head, hair disheveled and face deathly pallid, just fell to the ground and his eyes shut slowly. He did not move again.

(A/N: If you're pissed at me for killing Zero and are about to stop reading, **_don't_**! He's down… but not out, if you know what I mean…)

The next few minutes were just a cacophony of Jinx and Starfire sobbing, Raven trying her best to stifle bitter tears while B.Boy attempted to soothe her…though he was fighting tears too, Robin and Cyborg just sitting silently staring at their lifeless friend.

Then, Robin noticed something. The pouch on Zero's belt… _was glowing blue_.

"_What_?" Robin whispered in disbelief.

He reached into Zero's belt and removed… the talisman. The Talisman of the Ice Dragon. It was glowing.

This was maddening to Jinx. It was so unfair! Zero fought so long and so hard, but by the time the stupid thing glowed, he was already… already… she shuddered and went back to crying.

Meanwhile, Robin did the only thing he knew to do. He gently opened up Zero's closed fists and placed the Talisman there, giving it back to It's rightful owner.

The Titans then got back to their mourning… but were interrupted by a flash of blue light.

They looked back in shock to see the glow growing. It spread all around the talisman… and then up Zero's arm… and then to his torso… and then his other arm… then his legs… and feet…. And hands… and then, his head….

For no apparent reason, Zero's body slowly began to float up into the air… it was as if he were being lifted up by some unknown force.

There was another, blinding flash of mystical light… and Zero fell to the ground, no longer glowing.

The Titans couldn't believe their eyes… Zero's body was now undamaged. His armor was intact and shone like brand new, he was completely uninjured, his cape was repaired and hung neatly about him, and his hair was once again in his usual ponytail.

Then, a miracle occurred. Zero groaned…. And sat up, opening his eyes and yawning.

He looked around to see his friends staring at him as if he'd seen a ghost.

"…(yawn)… hey guys… what _hit_ me?"

He was instantly swarmed.

"Zero! You're alive!"-Robin

"You came back!"-Jinx

"I knew you'd beat it!"-Cyborg

"Welcome back, pal!"-Beast Boy

"Glorious! You are unharmed!"-Starfire

"Thank God…"-Raven

Zero tried to calm his ecstatic friends down. "Okay, okay! I'm glad to see you guys too, but sheesh! I need some space." He joked.

But when they began to move off of him, he took Jinx gently by the wrist.

"Except for you, darling…" he said sultrily. With a gentle tug, he pulled her back and wrapped her in a hug, kissing her deeply and lovingly.

He looked up at the others while Jinx cried tears of joy.

"So… who's ready to get out of these stinkin' caves and get back to the castle?"

_**Several Hours Later back at Castle Norblitz…**_

A procession had gathered in the throne room. Screaming crowds, comprised mainly of young Norblitzian women, had formed on the sides of the large hall. Many of them bore wooden signs with painted messages saying: **_'Wij (picture of a heart) Zero!'_**

(A/N: '_Wij'_ is Norblitzian for '_We'_ so 'Wij (picture of a heart) Zero' means, 'We love Zero!')

A special table near the King's throne was reserved for the Titans.

"Wow… I never knew Zero had groupies…" Beast Boy stated, sounding impressed.

"Yeah, well… I don't think **_she_** knew either…" Replied Cyborg, who pointed over to the other end of the table, where Jinx sat jealously glaring bullets at the girls.

Jinx, though she was happy for Zero, was absolutely miserable right now. Zero was a knight now… that means he could stay at home… it was time for them to part ways… he **DID** love her, she had no doubt, but he had no choice but to stay on his island… and she couldn't stay with him…

Suddenly, the crowd went completely silent.

The doors at the front of the chamber swung open, and Sub-Zero, flanked by a bunch of armed castle guards, strode proudly in.

He walked all the way up to the king and knelt before him holding, in outstretched hands, the glowing Talisman.

The King reached down and took it, examined it carefully, and then gave it back.

"Sub-Zero…" began the King in a deep, booming voice, "I know I am obliged to deliver a speech here… but for that sake of time… our guests, I'm sure, are eager to set off home…" he motioned toward the Titans, "I'll go ahead and declare your knighthood complete, and let **you** deliver a speech, if you so please."

The old monarch reached behind his throne and pulled out a massive, seven foot tall battle axe with an ice blade.

"Sir Sub-Zero… having displayed incredible power, bravery, and compassion in saving our precious kingdom…I now pronounce you…" he tapped Zero gently upon the shoulder with the huge axe "… a **_Knight_**."

As everyone, including the Titans, clapped and cheered… Zero stood up and shook hands with the king.

Zero got up and stood at the head of the hall and cleared his throat.

"Well, I think I would first like to say, thank everyone here for coming to my ceremony. Your support and kinsmanship are invaluable to me, and I appreciate you all…" Several of the young women swooned at these words; a few fainted. "… but I shall have to make this thing quick. If it's all the same to you, your majesty," he motioned to the King, "after I make a quick announcement, I should like to get back to my quarters and pack."

Everyone looked shocked. _Pack_? What did he mean **_Pack_**?

"You see…" said Zero with a smile, as if he read their minds, "… a wise man once said: 'home is where your heart is.' And although this is my birthplace and a place I dearly love… I regret to say, my heart is elsewhere."

There were several cries of surprise from the crowd, and even the king blinked in shock.

"Well, actually… at this particular moment, my heart is in this very room. But very soon, She will be far, far away in **_her_** home."

To the Titans surprise, he turned his head just slightly and looked dead at Jinx, smiling. The young witch's heart banged in her chest. Did he mean what she thought he meant?

He abruptly began walking towards the Titans table.

"So…" he continued as he walked. "I have no choice… but to follow her. If, of course, she does not mind…"

He knelt down right in front of Jinx on one knee. Her heart felt as if it was about to explode and her eyes were tearing up slightly.

"Well… do you mind, M'lady?" he asked softly, taking her hand and kissing it gently. As he did so, he reached into his belt and pulled something out… then held it out to her. Jinx gasped out loud.

It was a rose. A rose made of the same never melting ice as Eviglasere and Snevakt. It shone with a brilliant blue light and glowed mystically… it was absolutely beautiful…

In front of the King, the other Titans, the crowd, and everyone else, Jinx grabbed his neck in a hug and started kissing his cheek happily.

"Oh Zero, you… you can come with me anywhere you want!" she purred loudly and happily.

"In that case, we should hurry and prepare to leave." Zero chuckled calmly.

There in front of everyone, they kissed.

For what felt like forever, there was dead silence… then, there was a clap. Then another. And another. Soon, the entire hall was filled with applause and cheering, and the other Titans were smiling and clapping the loudest of all.

_**Well… all's well that ends well, huh guys? Stay tuned… I'm gonna post an Epilogue soon, the 'happy ending', if you will.**_

_**In the meantime, Read and Review… and eagerly await both the epilogue and the sequel : )**_

_**The Mad Phantom.**_


	23. Romantic Epilogue

_Disclaimer I do not own the Teen Titans… why do I keep having to say that?_

_**A Dish Best Served Cold… Epilogue**_

"Uhh… guys…. Are you _sure_ this is the sort of thing you wear to a date?" asked Sub-Zero suspiciously, muffled by the bathroom door.

"Hey, _you're_ the one that asked _us_ to help you, right? Have a little faith." Beast Boy responded.

_This was the night_. The night that Sub-Zero and Jinx went on their first formal, official date.

Sub-Zero, having absolutely no idea of what sort of clothes people outside his island wore, didn't know what to wear. And he certainly wasn't going to tank around in full armor and gear _tonight_.

So, he had asked Beast Boy, Robin, and Cyborg to help him out. They had told him to wait at the Tower, and then they went out for an hour or so. When they came back, they were carrying a bunch of bags…

Right now, Sub-Zero was in the Titan's Tower Men's Room changing into the clothes they had brought back. He had been in their for about thirty minutes now…

"Man, what's takin' 'im so long?" Cy huffed, getting impatient. "Jinx'll have left him here by the time he gets dressed!"

"I heard that, Cy!" the knight barked from inside.

Finally, he stepped out. He was wearing a formal tux-suit; most of it was baby-blue, but the lapels, cuffs, and trim were shiny silver. A long, white handkerchief poked out of the suit's breast pocket. His hair had been taken out of it's usual ponytail and brushed out, making it flow long down his back. He wore fancy white gloves and heavily polished, white dress shoes. The one thing he had kept from his usual outfit was the metal, snowflake-shaped necklace he had always worn.

"Whoa… Zero, looking good!" Robin whistled, impressed by his friend's apparent transformation.

"… You really think so?" Zero asked doubtfully, tugging his lapels.

"We **know** so! Dude, you look like a new knight!" B.Boy encouraged. "Jinx is gonna flip when she sees you."

"Well… I have to admit… I **_DO_** look different, don't I?" he chuckled with a slight blush.

Zero began walking down the hall toward Jinx's room…

"Hey, wait a minute!" Cy halted him.

"Hm?" Zero stopped and turned to face him.

"I forgot something…" Cy said, getting a grin on his face from ear to ear.

Going back over to the clothes bags, he searched around and found one, last thing.

"Hold still…" he told Zero.

Zero stood still, and Cy walked over and placed a pair of narrow, rectangular shades on his face with crimson-red tinted lenses.

"Glasses? But I can see just fine!" Zero protested, slightly insulted.

"No, bro… these are shades, they aren't for vision problems… they're just there to look good…" Cy explained with a laugh.

"Oh…. I see." Zero said, embarrassed by his ignorance.

The young knight stepped into the bathroom and closed the door, to examine himself in the mirror one, last time.

_And almost had a heart attack…_

There, in the mirror before him, stood a man as plain as day. He was tall, with the same red eyes, white hair, and prominent facial features as Sub-Zero. His hair hung long and unkempt with a shaggy, curl-tipped goatee to match. He wore old-style navy clothes that were teal and silver, with a blue sash and white cape that hung casually over one shoulder. He had on a large, green pirate hat topped with numerous blue, white, teal, and silver feathers…

_Somehow_, Zero had no idea how, but _somehow_… he knew exactly who this image of a man was.

**It was the spitting image of the long-dead dread pirate, Dark-Shard himself!**

"… _F-F-Father?_" Zero stammered softly in disbelief.

Then, he almost had a heart attack again, because the spectral reflection actually spoke.

**_"Aye… I be a might proud o' yeh, m'boy… don't yeh ever fergit that."_** He stated in a gruff, heavily accented voice, smiling cockily and showing off a gold tooth. **_"An' don't yeh fergit yer ol' father now, savvy?"_**

And with that, the ghostly reflection just kind of faded away, leaving the reflection of a wide eyed, heavily breathing Zero in it's wake.

But after a moment, he felt strangely calm. He didn't know if that had actually been his father's spirit in that mirror, or if his nervousness over his date was making his imagination play tricks on him. But in the end, it didn't matter… because he knew the words the image of his father had spoke were true.

"_Th_… Thanks Father… I _won't_ forget you…" he promised with a whisper to his own reflection… hoping his father, wherever he was, could hear him.

"Uh… hey, Zero? You okay? It got kinda quiet in there…" Beast Boy said worriedly.

He stepped out of the doorway, still slightly pale-faced… even more so than usual, mind you… and breathing heavily.

"Huh… Zero, you… you look like you've seen a ghost." Robin said, commenting on his unusual demeanor.

But Sub-Zero just shook his head and beamed. "Actually, I've never been better… and I saw no ghost… more like… a **_guardian angel_**." He said cryptically. His friends didn't really get that remark, but decided not to ask.

With renewed confidence, Sub-Zero set off down the hall toward Jinx's room, his compadres cheering him on the whole way.

"You can do it, Zero!" Beast Boy shouted… and then added under his breath: "All night long…"

(A/N: Sorry… Little Nicky reference… couldn't help myself…)

"Knock 'er dead, bro!" Cy said, shaking his fist.

"Don't even look back!" Robin said.

After Sub-Zero was well down the hallway and even farther out of earshot, Beast Boy turned to Cyborg.

"Hmm… ya think he remembered to take some 'protection' with him?" B. Boy asked thoughtfully.

Cy snorted. "You really think he'll get that lucky on a first date?"

"Not really… but you never know…." B.B. shrugged.

The Boy Wonder could only give the two a bemused stare, sweat-dropping anime style.

"You guys are _awful_, you know that?" he groaned, looking ill.

Beast Boy and Cyborg just shrugged and grinned.

_**Meanwhile, just outside of Jinx's room…**_

"…(Sigh)… is she almost done in there?" Raven muttered inquiringly, tired of waiting.

"I do not know… but it should not require much farther time. She has been getting ready for over one hour, now." Star chirped with a shrug.

Jinx had dragged Star and Raven to her room and told them to wait outside while she got ready. Apparently, she wanted their opinion on her outfit when she was finished.

That had been one hour ago, as the young Tamaranean had said.

Finally, the door to Jinx's room opened up and there stood the witch herself.

Like Sub-Zero, her appearance had undergone a massive overhaul.

She was wearing a sleeveless, neon pink top that stopped just below the bellow button, exposing just a small bit of midriff, and also left her shoulders exposed. Also, she had on a jet-black skirt that reached to just above her kneecaps and purple, high-heeled shoes, along with her usual, striped leg stockings. She was wearing lipstick for once, and also had on just a small amount of eye shadow and mascara. Last, but not least, her pink hair was no longer in those long, unruly, bullhorn-looking pigtails, but was let out and flowed down her neck straight.

Starfire was the first to speak.

"Ooooooohhh….. Friend Jinx, you look beautiful!" She cooed, looking starry-eyed… no pun intended.

Jinx just stood there staring at the floor, her facing blushing heavily.

Raven spoke after a moment.

"Er… you look… nice, I guess." She said dryly. She really meant it; she just wasn't quite as…_enthusiastic_… about her response as Star.

Jinx looked up.

"Do you think the lipstick is too much?" she asked hesitantly. "Be honest…"

"Oh, no! You look perfect!" Star chirped whole-heartedly, while Raven just shrugged.

All of the sudden, the trio of girls heard footsteps echoing down the hallway and coming closer.

"Oh, marvelous! That must be Friend Sub-Zero coming now!" Star yelped. "Raven, we should go and allow Jinx and Zero some privacy!"

She floated off hastily and Raven just sighed and levitated after her. Jinx, too nervous to see him just yet, ran back into her room and closed the door, waiting for him to knock.

Sure enough, our man Zero came walking around the bend of the hallway soon after.

Most of his aforementioned 'renewed confidence'… was now on holiday…

"…_Oh, man_… how the heck am I supposed to go about this?" he moaned. "I wasn't **_THIS_** nervous when I was fighting that **dragon**!"

He stopped in the hallway and sighed, trying out a few different possible lines.

"Oh, uh…. Hey Jinx, ready for the date? No…..wait….ahem…..Hey baby. How's about you and me go…. no, that's just a good way to get slapped…_ugh, I JUST DON'T KNOW!_" He groaned.

Finally, he just decided to suck it up and say whatever came to his head first.

Walking up to the door labeled, _'JINX'_ he held out a shaking hand and knocked hesitantly, shutting his eyes tight.

He heard the door open and gulped.

"Uh…hey Jinx…. Are you, um… ready to—" he opened his eyes at that moment, but the poor schmuck picked the wrong second to do it.

There stood Jinx in all her glory, smiling with one hand on her hip and leaning against the doorframe with the other hand, and winking at him.

"_Sweet fires of Pompeii…_" he whispered hoarsely in awe, before remembering where he was and mentally tossing hot water on himself (For most people, it would be cold water, but for Zero, it'd be hot.)

"_Ahem_! Er, I mean… Are you ready to…uh…go?" he said, forcing himself to remain calm.

"As ready as I'll ever be!" she purred devilishly, putting her slender arms around his neck.

This, combined with her new wardrobe, almost made Sub-Zero lose consciousness then and there, but he kept his cool.

"Er…. Well, shall we get going?" he said, now having recovered most of his former composure.

_**An hour later…**_

Sub-Zero and Jinx had just walked through the door of a fancy downtown nightclub/restaurant-in-one called, _The Moonbeam Café_. He'd heard about the place from an Ad he'd seen on T.V. after they'd arrived back home from Norblitz.

The place was surprisingly uncrowded, only a few tables had people at them. Zero and Jinx were able to get seated and place their orders in a matter of minutes.

"Hmmm… I'll have the…. Caesar Salad with… a side of grilled salmon… and some sweet tea, please." Jinx told the waiter, who immediately jotted this down on his notepad.

"Yes ma'am. And what about you, Sir?" the waiter asked Zero, who was still staring intently at his menu and scratching his head.

"Uh, well… I think… the T-bone steak, well done… and a side of French Fries… and I guess I'll have a large Ice water with that."

The waiter wrote this down, nodded, and left.

Zero turned to Jinx.

"Well, what do you think?" Sub-Zero asked his date after a minute.

"It's _wonderful_…" the sorceress said smiling. "How'd you find a place like _this_ downtown, anyway?"

"Well, I had some help…" Zero said quickly.

"Aw, I bet you're just being modest again." She giggled. "You do that a lot, you know…"

He just grinned, blushed, and sat quietly until their food arrived.

"_Wow_… this looks really good!" Zero said, licking his lips hungrily while staring at his steak.

"Well, don't eat too fast… I don't want you to choke." Jinx warned.

He waved his hands dismissively and dug in like he hadn't eaten in days.

As if Jinx was psychic, it was only a minute and forty five seconds before he started choking and finally swallowed with some difficulty.

"Told you." Jinx said playfully.

He gasped for breath and took a swig of his ice water. "Guess you were right…" he said, eating his food a lot slower afterwards.

"The female in the relationship usually is." She joked, giggling impishly.

He almost choked again, not from eating too fast, and not from insult… but from the fact she'd just referred to them as a **_relationship_**.

'**_YES_**!' He yelled mentally, trying not to look too pleased about it.

Jinx ate her salad and salmon in silence for several minutes, and Zero ate the same way… neither of them quite knew what to say. Then, Jinx perked up a little.

"Hey! You wanna dance after we finish eating?" she asked excitedly, pointing over to the nightclub section of the place where there was a large dimly lit dance floor.

Zero almost spat out his ice water.

"Wha…? _Dance_?" he peeped, sounding like she'd just suggested they go sky diving.

His first instinct was no, but when he saw those, pink puppy dog eyes… or, in Jinx's case, _kitty cat_ eyes… he buckled and couldn't' help but agree.

"Uh… sure, why not?" he said with a grin.

"Great! I love dancing!" she purred.

"Really?" he asked. He'd never actually seen her dance before…

"Mm-Hmm. They used to have school dances a few times every year at the H.I.V.E. Academy…" she said.

Zero stared. The H.I.V.E. School holding dances? It didn't make good sense to him, but oh well….

They finished eating and Zero gulped as Jinx grinned widely as she pulled him up and dragged him to the dance floor.

"_Uhhhh_… Jinx… I fell I should warn you…. I've never actually…_danced_ before."

"**_REALLY_**? _Oh, Zero_, you're missing out! Come on, I'll show you…"

Zero gulped. That wasn't quite the reaction he'd expected…

She led him out to the middle of the dance floor and took both of his hands.

"Here… just follow my lead…" She purred smiling.

The next song, believe it or not, happened to be Hotel California by the Eagles…

There weren't many people on the dance floor which, much to Zero's chagrin, left him and Jinx completely visible to both their fellow dancers and the people still eating.

After the Spanish-esque acoustic guitar intro, the singer started…

'On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair  
Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air  
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light  
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim  
I had to stop for the night

Jinx and Zero started slowdancing gracefully as the song began; Zero kept pace with her surprisingly well. Maybe it was the coordination he had developed from sword fighting, but… it was almost as if he could predict her next move every time.

There she stood in the doorway;  
I heard the mission bell  
And I was thinking to myself,  
'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'  
Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way  
There were voices down the corridor,  
I thought I heard them say...

Welcome to the Hotel California  
Such a lovely place  
Such a lovely face  
Plenty of room at the Hotel California  
Any time of year, you can find it here

As the chorus started, Zero pulled a fast one on Jinx… he dipped her low, keeping his arm behind her back to support her weight, and looked her dead in the eyes. She gasped softly with surprise, and Zero just chuckled huskily.

Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends  
She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends  
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.  
Some dance to remember, some dance to forget

As the singer sang the words, 'sweet summer sweat', Zero gently spun Jinx around once and then caught her. She smiled up at him and whispered: " I thought you said you'd never danced before…" He grinned. "Well… I guess I'm just a natural." The crowd was beginning to go quiet and pay attention to the young couple…

So I called up the Captain,  
'Please bring me my wine'  
He said, 'We haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine'  
And still those voices are calling from far away,  
Wake you up in the middle of the night  
Just to hear them say...

Welcome to the Hotel California  
Such a lovely place  
Such a lovely face  
They livin' it up at the Hotel California  
What a nice surprise, bring your alibis

Zero and Jinx were really garnering most of the place's attention by this point. Usually, this would have made Zero VERY uncomfortable… but he was too lost in a pair of feline eyes to even notice…

Mirrors on the ceiling,  
The pink champagne on ice  
And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device'  
And in the master's chambers,  
They gathered for the feast  
They stab it with their steely knives,  
But they just can't kill the beast

Jinx was now beginning to become unnaturally warm in the face, and her cheeks flushed. She didn't care, though… her attention was on the young man she had been leading around the dance floor… by this time, HE was almost leading HER…

Last thing I remember, I was  
Running for the door  
I had to find the passage back  
To the place I was before  
'Relax,' said the night man,  
We are programmed to receive.  
You can checkout any time you like,  
but you can never leave!'

As the acoustic guitar finished it's ending solo, the music stopped with a rhythmic '**_ba-da-da-dah_**!' and Zero and Jinx embraced each other and kissed with perfect timing.

The two dancers were suddenly interrupted by a round of sudden, thundering applause.

"**_Huh_**?" Zero was the first to react, looking up from Jinx's face to see the entire place clapping for their performance. After a second, he realized that they had been watching them **_the whole time_**.

_He could have fainted._

"_Oh_… _my_…. **_Goodness_**….." he moaned, looking ill.

"Hm? What's wrong? I thought you were enjoying yourself!" Jinx asked, alarmed.

"Well… I **WAS**…." He said.

And then, he ran off to the Men's room holding his stomach.

_(A/N: This is NOT turning into a lemon, don't worry… however, there IS a bit of suggestiveness and innuendo coming up… no details, just implications. But if you don't want to read, skip the next few paragraphs and go straight to the ending.)_

_**A Couple Hours Later, Back At Titan's Tower…**_

Zero was back in his normal clothes, walking the hallways.

After settling his stomach, they had left the restaurant/club, trying to attract as little attention as possible… which wasn't saying much; they were the talk of the place long after they left.

"Great… things were going terrific! Then, **_I_** have to ruin it…." He sighed, lamenting his reaction to the crowd.

About that time, he passed by Jinx's room… and the door slid open. Jinx was standing there, still in her date clothes. He took the opportunity to apologize.

"Jinx, listen… I… I'm really sorry about that back at…"

She cut him off. "_Oh, don't worry about that…. We had fun, that's all that mattered_." She was grinning unnaturally.

Then, she looked at him… strangely. It was a look that Sub-Zero wasn't sure what to make of…

"_Zero… could you…. Come in here, please_?" she whispered in a strangely sultry voice.

"Uhh… of course." He followed her into her room, and she immediately closed the doors behind him.

He realized too late that all her lights were off, and it was almost pitch black.

"U-U-Uhhhh…. Jinx…. Why are the lights off?….Jinx?"

There was no response at first… then, something grabbed his arm and pulled him over onto something soft…. wait…. the **_bed_**?

'_Uh-oh_…. **_Oh my lord_**….' Zero gulped mentally as he realized what was going on…

"…_Tee-hee_…. _now_… _just hold still for a few minutes, my li'l Knighty-Whighty_……" Jinx giggled devilishly, with an almost feral sort of purr…

_**Three Hours And Forty Seven Minutes Later…**_

Zero walked into the living room where the other Titans were hanging out… and almost scared the mess out of them; they almost didn't recognize him.

His hair was disheveled and messy, he wasn't wearing his armor, boots, gloves, or belt, his cape hung sloppily over one shoulder, his shirt was on backwards and his pants were heavily wrinkled… he had an expression on his face like he'd just won a triathlon: Exhausted, yet satisfied and ecstatic

To cap it all off, he had a number of ruby-red "Lip-Prints" all over his face, as if someone wearing a large amount of lipstick had gotten a bit… _friendly_… with him.

"_What the_--? **Dude**, what happened to **_you_**?" B.B. asked, looking horrified and amused at the same time.

"Friend Sub-Zero? Are you all right? You look… pale and tired…" Star said confusedly, noticing the haphazard condition of his clothes.

"Yeah… and you got lipstick all over your face!" Cy observed… once again, pointing out the incredibly obvious first.

"Wait a minute… don't tell me… Jinx…" Robin began, starting to put two and two together…

"Where IS Jinx, anyway?" Raven asked suspiciously.

He gave them a lopsided grin. "She's… asleep."

While everybody assaulted Zero with more questions, B.B. turned to Cyborg and whispered triumphantly: "See? I told you! You owe me ten bucks!"

Muttering darkly under his breath, Cyborg opened a storage tray built into his mechanical chest and pulled out his wallet to comply.

"Wait a minute… you guys got home, like… four hours ago, almost! We haven't seen you 'till now…. What have you guys been doing exactly?" Robin demanded, though he knew already.

Zero looked at them with the same grin and said…

"Guys…. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

_**THE END**_

_**Well, that's it…. That's the end of this story. I will soon begin work on a sequel, in which I plan to introduce another OC.**_

_**In the meantime, Reviews would be groovy.**_

_**The Mad Phantom…**_


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